Water surfaces cover about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, but how much do we value this precious resource? It is a well-known thought that what one has in abundance, one takes for granted. The amazing fact that water ecosystems make up such a large percentage of our planet can lead to the wrong thinking – we don’t have to worry about their survival. Somewhere the knowledge was lost that of this total amount, over 95 percent of water is found in seas and oceans, while the remaining small percentage is made up of freshwater sources such as rivers and lakes. We should remember the lessons from school desks – the first civilizations were created along the rivers, which provided drinking water and fertile land.
The construction of hydropower plants, climate change, pollution, urbanization and other causes, fueled by human actions, have threatened the health of these ecosystems. The alarm has already been sounded, and in our country it should sound even louder, because we obviously don’t hear it. The pearls of our drinking water, the remaining healthy sources, are mostly fragile rivers. By this I mean that the sources of drinking water are not giant rivers, but streams, which are under threat from human hands.
The project Nove Delte
The Nile River, the longest river in the world that stretches through African countries, is particularly significant for Egypt, where it was home to one of the oldest civilizations. The longest natural river in the world flows through this country, and it is now building the longest artificial river created by man.
The project Nove Delterepresents Egypt’s answer to a great challenge – water. This artificial river will be 114 kilometers long and will be located in the northwestern part of the country. The value of the project is about 5.25 billion dollars, and it is part of a wider plan to expand agricultural areas and improve water management. More precisely, the construction of this artificial river has several key reasons.
Most of the territory of this country is covered by deserts, due to which the irrigation system and agriculture are limited. With its construction, it will be possible to bring water to areas where there were no sources of this resource until now. In this way, new areas of agricultural land will be created. As stated, the project will provide irrigation for 2.2 million hectares of new agricultural land, and thousands of jobs will be created. All this will also reduce dependence on food imports, such as wheat.
Speaking about the improvement of water management, it is emphasized that this river will use recycled water from agricultural wastewater, and groundwater will also be used more efficiently. This is especially significant if climate change and more frequent dry periods are taken into account. The artificial river is important for adapting to climate change as a safe source of water.
It should be recognized that this undertaking is truly brave and deserves the attention and consideration of other regions around the world. Although we may not have always known to appreciate this precious natural resource, it is still not too late for the human hand to create something positive for the preservation of nature and our own future. Perhaps these innovative projects will become an inspiration for global efforts towards sustainable management of water resources.
Katarina Vuinac
Source: energetskiportal.rs
