04-Rivers and Life: The Nile

With 63 million inhabitants now filling up all the areas along the Nile and with the population explosion set to continue, the Aswan Dam may not be enough to save Egypt from dying of thirst in the future.

​The solution to this seemingly impossible situation may be found in the most unlikely of places.

The Toshka project seeks to relieve population congestion and reclaim some 4000 square kilometers​ of land for agriculture, by irrigating the desert.

I've put water into the desert because I am certain of success.

The land will become fertile and people will be able to live here.

The people will talk about this project as they talked about the pyramids, the Aswan Dam and the Pharoahs.

Irrigation secretary Ahmed Morsi is the government's representative in Toshka.

He believes that by diverting water from the Nile and pumping it into the middle of the desert, Egypt's future will be assured.

But to turn Toshka from desert to settlement requires an extra 5 billion cubic liters​ of water every year.

A situation which has greatly angered the other African nations.