The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-19
STILL CRYING FOR WATER.
Egyptian Irrigation Problem and
Demands for Extension.

Although but recently completed, the
beneficial influence of the Assuan dam
has already been demonstrated in a
most satisfactory manner. and cult
vators along the Nile Valley are all
ready rejoicing in the removal of re-
strictlons that were necessary in for
mer years for ekeing out the scanty
supplies of water then available.
The reservoir upstream of the AS
suan dam is of very considerable ex-
tent. In summer time it extends as
far as Iboim. which is las miles above
Assuan. but for a length of about 100
miles the impounded water is within
the trough of the Nile. A few viii
lagos have been submerged, but as
measures were taken by the Egyptian
government during 1901 for delimiting
the boundaries of the proposed reser-
voir and of dealing suitably with all
incidental problems, no real inconveni-
ence has been suffered by the former
inhabitants.
The maximum capacity of the Nile
reservoir is 1850, 900 tons, equal to more
than 235, 900, 900 gallons. 1t will be full
by the middle of January in each year,
and during May, June and July water
will be discharged for the purpose of
augmenting the ordinary summer flow
of the river. Taking the necessary pc
riod of discharge at the minimum of
seventy-five days, 1t follows that the
additional volume furnished by the i'm
pounded water will be approximately
$4,000 gallons per second. To this must
be added the normal summer discharge
of the river.
The minimum quantity of water re-
the adequate treatment of the $3.50, 600
acres of cultivable land in Lower and
Upper Egypt is estimated at 10000 cubic
feet, or, say, 100000 gallons per second.
Deducting from the 100000 gallons per
second required, the $4,000 gallons as
sumed to be furnished by the river,
the balance of lao, 600 gallons per Sec
ond is wanted, toward which the reser-
vor as at present built is only capable
of contributing $4,000 gallons per sec
ond. leaving a deficiency of 100000 gal
Ions per second.
1t is now claimed by many experts
that it was a great mistake to sava
the ancient temples of Philae, as 9TH
erwise the Aussuan reservoir would
have been built far larger. The orig
inal scheme provided for IS milliard
cubic feet of water, and the actual ca
pacity of the reservoir is but 8! mil
lard cubic feet. The provision of each
milliard cubic feet of water is esti-
mated 10 increase the value of the
crops, and, therefore. the rental value
of the land, by $150000 per year. Con-
sequently the capitalized value of one
milliard cubic feet of water may be
put down at $1,500,000.
1t has been pointed out that the net
upshot of the agitation with regard to
the temples on Philae Island is a clear
loss to the Egyptian people of more
than S65, 900, 900.
In order to obtain a true idea of the
total quantity of water to be provided
in future schemes 1t becomes necessa-
ry to take waste into account. The
next question is as to how the further
supplies of water now lacking may
best be obtained.
Lake Victoria, the source of the
White Nile, is an enormous natural
reservoir of an area of $4,000 square
miles; that is, more than two and a
half times the cultivate area of Egypt.
This inland sea lies in a region where
rain falls all the year round. Its
capacity is so gigantic that the addi-
ton of 5000, 000, 900, 900 gallons of water
would not raise the surface level by
more than about II inches. The only
outlet for water is at the Ripon Falls,
where the Nile first appears as a river
Of between 400 and 500 yards wide,
with an estimated mean discharge of
100000 gallons per second. After a
while the Nile enters Lake Albert,
which has an area Of LOO square miles.
The estimated discharge of the river
on emerging from the lake is between
$4,000 and 100000 gallons per second.
BY building a dam at the Ripon Falls
to slightly raise the level of Lake Vic
toria, as proposed by Sir William Will
cocks, the famous hydraulic engineer,
storage reserve of about 1000 000
100000 gallons of water may be held up.
A further reserve of a like amount
would become available by cutting
down the sill at the Ripon Falls, to
permit water to be drawn off below
the normal level. Further. by construct
ing dam at Fabongo, to raise the
level Of Lake Albert by about IL feet.
second reserve of some 1900, 900, 000,-
gallons would be created for discharge
in summer time. BY the construction
of two. of such dams it would probably
be possible to insure a discharge at
Fabonga of 100000 gallons per second
at any season of the year.
Another project which has often
been discussed of late years is the
conversion of Lake Tana into a great
storage reservoir. From an engineer
ing standpoint there is no difficulty
whatever in raising the level of that
lake, and 1900, 0o0, 10000 gallons of wa
ter would thus be available. This vol
ume would discharge about 200. 900 gall
Ions per second for seventy-five days
in summer and would give a supply
ample for the whole of Egypt. The
only difficulty in connection with a
storage reservoir in a foreign country
Lake Tana being situated in Abyssinia
lis of political origin, for it would be
unwise to place the water supply of
Egypt in the territory of a foreign
ruler.
Be this as it NAV, the recent COM
pletion Of the Nile reservoir works and
the vast Improvements effected in the
irrigation and drainage systems OF
Egypt generally, have opened the way
for further enterprise. At the present
day the prospects of Egypt are brigh-
ter than they have ever been. Her
cultivated area will soon approach
that existing in Roman times. but two
crops a year will be obtainable where
formerly only one was possible.
-George-"I'm surprised that you