Water bankruptcy in the mighty Nile river basin

Abstract

Water is crucial for sustaining life and development. The Nile river basin is one of the river basins supporting human life since the earliest days of human civilization. Currently, with increasing water demand the river basin is experiencing pressures and the water conflict in the region is deepening. The riparian countries are building and planning various unilateral water use schemes along the river to meet their growing water demand. This paper considering the current and predicted water demands of the riparian countries introduces a new approach that should be taken into consideration in the management of the river basin, i.e., the scenario of water bankruptcy. After a careful analysis of the predicated water availability and demand in the river basin the authors believe that water bankruptcy is inevitable in the river basin. The water allocation and water right determination efforts in the river basin should take account this scenario into consideration. Doing this will assist in avoiding water conflicts in the future and ensure the fairness and sustainability of allocation rules.