HIGH DAM ( SADD EL-AALI )
The «high dam» is located a few kilometres upstream from the river. Its construction began in 1960, following bilateral agreements between the Sudan and Egypt on the use of the 32 billion cubic metres of water that the 1929 agreements had left free.
The construction was entrusted to Soviet engineers; the work was completed in 1972. Its length is 3 600 m, its height of 111 m, with a thickness of 980 m. The dam is the centrepiece of the energy independence of the country whose electricity production exceeds its consumption.
However, different problems arise. Ethiopian and Sudanese silt deposited at the bottom of Lake Nasser and will require soon to be désensablé. The lake water reservoir could decrease if riparian countries in the Nile upstream use more water for irrigation of their land.
Nubia, which stretched south of the first cataracts, was inundated with lake waters. The population was relocated between Kôm-Ombo and Aswan, creating ethnic problems. Today, the pride of the Nubian people generates the development of clean tourism around their musical culture, culinary culture and traditions.
