Introduction

The Nile River Basin includes ten riparian states, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda. Cooperation is necessary between the ten Riparian States of the Nile Basin where potential is great for Water saving, Agriculture, and Hydropower. The Nile Basin includes five of the ten poorest states in the world and cooperation would reduce poverty, instability, environmental deterioration, and natural disasters.

The area of the Nile Basin is about three million square km and the length of the river and its tributaries exceeds 37500 km.

Nile Basin Opportunities

The Nile above Aswan is one of the least developed rivers of the world. There is an opportunity to transform the Nile, through collaborative and visible actions on the ground, into a unifying force that builds regional and international interdependencies and promotes economic activities, which could enable basin states to participate as partners in emerging regional and global trade. Effective water management, including water harvesting and conservation, can bring benefits to all involved riparian, which means that there is real “win-win” potential. Unilateral development of the river outside an agreed framework is likely to be unsustainable development, having the opposite effects in the long run, perpetuating poverty promoting, even conflict and leading to “lose-lose”.

The Nile Basin Countries

Burundi

Burundi is a small country located in the extreme southwestern corner of the region, hosting the most southern source of the Nile. Roughly half of Burundi's land area drains into the Nile Basin, while the remainder drains to the Congo. The country is mountainous, with fairly high rainfall. Although water resources are relatively abundant, they are required to support a high density of population. The Nile waters within Burundi flow through Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda into Lake Victoria.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

DRC is a vast country which lies on the southwestern fringes of the Nile Basin. Rainfall over most of the country is high and the abundant water resources are dominated by the Congo River Basin. Only 1 percent of the national land area drains into the Nile; however, DRC's population density in the Nile Basin portion is approximately 5 times higher than in the rest of the country. The Nile waters from DRC flow into Lakes Edward and Albert, which lie on the border between DRC and Uganda.

Egypt

Egypt - a relatively large country - is the most downstream riparian country of the Nile in the north of the Basin. Except along the Mediterranean coast and the Sinai, rainfall over most of the country is close to zero and the Nile constitutes Egypt's main source of renewable freshwater. Most of the population lives within the Basin, primarily within a narrow strip along the Nile and in the delta area where population density is high.

Eritrea

Eritrea is a small country on the northeastern fringes of the Basin. It shares the drainage basin of the Setit/Tekeze (Atbara) River with Ethiopia and Sudan. A sixth of its population lives within the Nile Basin. As in Ethiopia, rainfall is largely limited to a four month period. Eritrea's contribution to the Nile Basin area is relatively small.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia - a relatively large country - is situated in the eastern portion of the Nile Basin. The Ethiopian Highlands give rise to some of the major tributaries of the Nile - the Abbay (Blue) Nile, the Tekeze (Atbara) River, and the Baro-Akobo (Sobat) River, contributing more than three quarters of the main Nile's average annual flow. While rainfall in the Nile Basin portion of the country is relatively high, it is highly seasonal and confined to a four month period, while the remainder of the year is dry. During the rains, the rivers are flashy and transport high loads of sediments. Population pressures on marginal lands in the Highlands are high.

Kenya

Kenya is a medium size country located at the shore of Lake Victoria in the south-eastern part of the Nile Basin. The portion of the country within the Nile Basin is relatively small, constituting about a tenth of the national area. However, given that this portion is one of the wettest regions in the country, population density is high, supporting about 40 percent of the country's population. Much of the remaining country is semi-arid or dry-subhumid.

Rwanda

Rwanda is a small country in the extreme southwestern corner of the region. Roughly 80 percent of the country is located within the Nile Basin, while the remaining portion forms part of the Congo Basin. The country is mountainous with relatively high rainfall. Rwanda is the country with the highest population density in the Nile Basin. The Kagera River which drains from Rwanda, as well as from Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda, is the largest tributary to Lake Victoria.

Sudan

Sudan - the largest country in Africa by area - lies at the center of the Nile Basin, encompassing about two thirds of the total Basin area. Roughly 85 percent of Sudan's people live within the Nile Basin. Population density is relatively low. All of the major tributaries of the Nile meet within Sudan. At Khartoum the White and the Blue Nile join to form the Main Nile. The northern half of the country is desert or semi-desert with very low rainfall. The vast wetland areas of the south receive relatively high rainfall, but evaporation is high too.

Tanzania

Tanzania is a relatively large county located on the shore of Lake Victoria at the southern end of the Basin. Overall, the country is relatively well endowed with water resources, but availability varies throughout the country. The Nile Basin portion, which represents above 10 percent of the national area, is relatively humid, with above average population density.

Uganda

Uganda is a medium size county located in the southern portion of the Basin. Almost the entire country lies within the Nile Basin. In Uganda, Lake Victoria discharges into the Victoria Nile. Most of the country has relatively high rainfall. Surface water resources, therefore are relatively abundant, but the variability is high too. Uganda serves as an important bridge country as it is downstream to DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Kenya and upstream to Sudan and Egypt.