Aswan High Dam

Aswan High Dam

The Nile River runs through Egypt and Sudan. It has a lot of power that needed to be capture. To capture this power the Aswan Dam was built. This dam could not quite get the job done. Thus, the High Dam at Aswan was built.

In a relatively rainless region, it is only because of the Nile River's annual flood that the areas of Egypt and Nubia became habitable and airable. The flood would and could vary greatly between years. So the idea to build a dam was brought about. The, in addition to controlling the annual flood, could bring hydro-electric power necessary for industry.

Construction on the new dam began in 1899. The Aswan Dam was completed three years later in 1902. The dam's height was alter during the years of 1907-1912 and again between 1929 and 1934. Even with these alterations, the dam still had an inadequate reservoir area. When extreme flooding would happen, it would be necessary to open the sluices of the dam to relieve the water pressure against it, flooding the areas that the dam was supposed to be protecting.

It was now thought necessary to build a second dam at Aswan. In the early 1950s, designs began to be drawn for what was to become the High Dam as Aswan. With the signing of the Nile Water Agreement by Egypt and the Sudan in November of 1959, work began on the second Aswan dam. There was no problems holding in water now, but much of Lower Nubia would be submerged under the reservoir created by the dam. Monuments and archaeological sites were destroyed. The salvageable ones were dismantled, relocated and re-erected.

The High Dam has added a whole new aspect to Egypt. In addition a new environment has been created as well. The lake created by the reservoir, is some 500 miles long. They believe that there should be no more need for another dam. There has been numerous amount of hydroelectric power created from it, that has, and remains necessary for industrial growth.