The High Dam was constructed between 1960 and 1970. Its aim was to increase the amount of hydroelectric power, regulate the flooding of the Nile and increase agricultural production . The Aswan High Dam is 3,830 metres long, 980 metres wide at the base, 40 metres wide at the crest (the top) and 111 metres tall.
Why was the upper Aswan dam built?
Based on the success of the Low Dam, then at its maximum utilization, construction of the High Dam became a key objective of the government following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952; with its ability to better control flooding, provide increased water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity , the dam was ...
Why did the British build the Aswan dam?
The main Page 4 Cook, 3 purpose of the Aswan Low Dam was to provide water for perennial irrigation and flood control , both of which would radically transform the seasonal patterns of the Nile and the traditional subsistence strategies for those who relied on the water and surrounding land of the Nile River Valley for ...
What are the benefits of the Aswan High Dam?
The collective benefits of Aswan High Dam (AHD) are increasing the Egyptian water resource, controlling and regulating floods , protecting Egypt from potential frequent droughts, increasing agriculture productivity, and completely regulating the river water.
What are the negative effects of the Aswan High Dam?
The main negative impacts of AHD are alluvial soil water logging, building up of soil salinity , overuses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides due to preventing of fine earth fertility particles by the dam, which affects the food productions and farmers health.
Is the Aswan Dam Good or bad?
The Aswan Dam benefits Egypt by controlling the annual floods on the Nile River and prevents the damage which used to occur along the floodplain. The Aswan High Dam provides about half of Egypt’s power supply and has improved navigation along the river by keeping the water flow consistent.
Is the Aswan Dam the largest dam in the world?
Aswan high dam, the third biggest in the world , impounds the River Nile and creates Lake Nasser. ... Robert-Bourassa is the tenth biggest dam in the world with a reservoir capacity of 61.7 billion cubic metres.
Why did they dam the Nile?
The dam is designed to control the Nile water for the expansion of cultivation and for the generation of hydroelectric power and to provide protection downstream for both crops and population against unusually high floods . The work began in 1959 and was completed in 1970.
Why is the Aswan Dam bad?
Problems with the Aswan Dam. ... The Aswan High Dam provides about a half of Egypt’s power supply and has improved navigation along the river by keeping the water flow consistent. Following completion of the dam there have been extensive problems, ironically caused in part because the annual flood no longer occurs.
What is the biggest dam in Egypt?
In the middle of the arid Egyptian desert lies one of the largest embankment dams in the world. It is called the Aswan High Dam , or Saad el Aali in Arabic, and it captures the mighty Nile River in the world’s third largest reservoir, Lake Nasser.
What was the purpose of building the new Aswan High Dam quizlet?
What was the purpose of building the New Aswan High Dam? Improve irrigation and provide hydroelectric power .
Why was the Aswan High Dam so controversial?
Despite its successes, the Aswan High Dam has produced several negative side effects. Most costly is the gradual decrease in the fertility of agricultural lands in the Nile delta , which used to benefit from the millions of tons of silt deposited annually by the Nile floods.
Why does the Aswan High Dam hold so much water?
It holds back about 4.9 billion cubic metres (174.2 billion cubic feet) of water from the tail of the Nile flood in late autumn . Once one of the largest dams in the world, it is 2,142 metres (7,027 feet) long and is pierced by 180 sluices that formerly passed the whole Nile flood, with its heavy load of silt.
Which is world’s largest dam?
World’s Tallest Dam
Currently, the tallest dam in the world is Nurek Dam on the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan . It is 984 feet (300 meters) tall. Hoover Dam is 726.4 feet (221.3 meters) tall.
Was the Aswan dam removed?
The US withdrew the funding, followed by the UK and the World Bank. The Soviet Union finally provided the required funds in 1958. Construction of Aswan High Dam began in 1960.
How did the Aswan High Dam affect the farmers?
Another benefit from the construction of the Aswan High Dam is that agricultural production can now take place year round . Since the Nile floods have been stopped, many farmers can now squeeze in three growing cycles each year, tripling the amount of crops that can be harvested.
