Aswan Dam case study

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  • Created by: ashly
  • Created on: 02-06-13 10:05

Aswan Dam

The Aswan Dam was created along with a Hydroelectric Power Station and a large lake known as Lake Nasser (named after Egypt’s first president) was formed behind the Dam. Aswan is about 600 kilometres south of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The Aswan High Dam is 3600 metres long and 111 metres high. The construction started on the dam in 1960 and it was completed in 1971 and 30 000 Egyptian people worked day and night to build the Aswan High Dam. The building of the dam was funded by the Soviets who in June 1956 offered their loan of $1,120,000,000 at 2% interest for the construction. The Dam was built as a multipurpose scheme:

·         to stop serious flooding in the Nile Valley and maintain a constant river level

·         to provide water all year round, with ample reserve to provide water in years of drought

·         to provide electricity in the form of Hydro Electric power

          to increase the area of cultivation so that two or three crops can be grown on the same piece of land each year (Irrigation water for surrounding farmland)

Advantages of the Aswan Dam:

·         The Aswan High Dam has 12 turbines, which generate over 10 billion kilowatts of electricity every year.

·         Improved agriculture because secure water supply has made possible:

§  the extension of irrigated land along much of the desert margin of the valley and delta

§  increased crop yield

§  the conversion of non-perennial irrigated land to perennial irrigation

§  more cash crops to be grown

§  more crops to be

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