Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Egypt's Nile Delta Slowly Disappearing

The Inter Press Service news agency published a brief article on 29 January 2014 titled "Nile Delta Disappearing Beneath the Sea" by Cam McGrath.  It points out that the highly productive Nile Delta of Egypt is disappearing for three reasons: coastal erosion, saltwater infiltration, and rising sea levels.  Much of the problem is due to the construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River above the Delta, which now blocks about 120 million tons of silt annually from reaching and replenishing the Nile Delta.  Most of this silt comes from the Blue Nile and other tributaries in Ethiopia.