How should the Nile's waters be shared?
The 10 African nations that share the waters of the Nile have been meeting this week in Uganda to discuss how the river's precious resources should be distributed.
A number of countries, including Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya are calling for the water to be shared more evenly.
But according to a treaty signed between Britain and Egypt in 1929, no country can undertake any project that would reduce the volume of water reaching Egypt.
Kenya is calling for the treaty to be revised, Tanzania is building a pipeline to extract drinking water from the Nile, and Ethiopia is planning to use the water for irrigation.
Egypt has reportedly said that any effort to alter the terms of the colonial treaty would be regarded as an act of war.
Will it be possible for the Nile-sharing countries to reach an agreement?
Is the 1929 treaty fair, given that Egypt has virtually no other source of water? How should the Nile's waters be shared?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3546245.stm
The 10 African nations that share the waters of the Nile have been meeting this week in Uganda to discuss how the river's precious resources should be distributed.
A number of countries, including Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya are calling for the water to be shared more evenly.
But according to a treaty signed between Britain and Egypt in 1929, no country can undertake any project that would reduce the volume of water reaching Egypt.
Kenya is calling for the treaty to be revised, Tanzania is building a pipeline to extract drinking water from the Nile, and Ethiopia is planning to use the water for irrigation.
Egypt has reportedly said that any effort to alter the terms of the colonial treaty would be regarded as an act of war.
Will it be possible for the Nile-sharing countries to reach an agreement?
Is the 1929 treaty fair, given that Egypt has virtually no other source of water? How should the Nile's waters be shared?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3546245.stm
