The Nile River basin : water, agriculture, governance and livelihoods

346 Pages·2013·3.42 MB·English

Nile RivTHeE r Basin
WATER, AGRICULTURE, GOVERNANCE AND LIVELIHOODS
EDITED BY
Seleshi Bekele Awulachew Vladimir Smakhtin
David Molden Don Peden

THE NILE RIVER BASIN
Water,Agriculture, Governance
and Livelihoods
The Nile is the world’s longest river and sustains the livelihoods of millions of people across
ten countries in Africa.It provides fresh water not only for domestic and industrial use,but also
for irrigated agriculture,hydropower dams and the vast fisheries resource of the lakes of Central
Africa.This book covers the whole Nile Basin and is based on the results of three major
research projects supported by the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF).It provides
unique and up-to-date insights on agriculture,water resources,governance,poverty,productiv-
ity,upstream–downstream linkages,innovations,future plans and their implications.
Specifically,the book elaborates the history,and the major current and future challenges and
opportunities,of the Nile River Basin.It analyses the basin characteristics using statistical data
and modern tools such as remote sensing and geographic information systems. Population
distribution, poverty and vulnerability linked to production systems and water access are
assessed at the international basin scale,and the hydrology of the region is also analysed.The
book provides in-depth scientific model adaptation results for hydrology, sediments, benefit
sharing,and payment for environmental services based on detailed scientific and experimental
work of the Blue Nile Basin.Production systems as they relate to crops,livestock,fisheries and
wetlands are analysed for the whole Blue and White Nile Basin,including their constraints.
Policy, institutional and technological interventions that increase productivity of agriculture
and use of water are also assessed.Water demand modelling,scenario analysis and trade-offs that
inform future plans and opportunities are included to provide a unique,comprehensive cover-
age of the subject.
Seleshi Bekele Awulachew was,at the time of writing,Acting Director in Africa for the
International Water Management Institute (IWMI),Addis Ababa,Ethiopia.He is now Senior
Water Resources and Climate Specialist at the African Climate Policy Center (ACPC),United
Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA),Addis Ababa,Ethiopia.
Vladimir Smakhtinis Theme Leader – Water Availability and Access at IWMI,Colombo,Sri
Lanka.
David Molden was,at the time of writing,Deputy Director General – Research at IWMI,
Colombo,Sri Lanka.He is now Director General of the International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD),Kathmandu,Nepal.
Don Peden is a Consultant at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI),Addis
Ababa,Ethiopia.

THE NILE RIVER BASIN
Water, Agriculture, Governance
and Livelihoods
Edited by Seleshi Bekele Awulachew, Vladimir Smakhtin,
David Molden and Don Peden
First edition published 2012 by Routledge
2 Park Square,Milton Park,Abingdon,Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge
711 Third Avenue,New York,NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,an informa business
© 2012 International Water Management Institute
All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic,mechanical,or other means,now
known or hereafter invented,including photocopying and recording,or in
any information storage or retrieval system,without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice:Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks,and are used only for identification and explanation without
intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Nile River basin :water,agriculture,governance and livelihoods /
edited by Seleshi Bekele Awulachew ...[et al.].
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.Watershed management–Nile River Watershed.2.Water resources
development–Nile River Watershed.3.Water-supply–Nile River
Watershed–Management.4.Nile River Watershed–Economic conditions.
5.Agriculture–Nile River Watershed.6.Nile River
Watershed–Environmental conditions.7.Nile River Watershed–History–
20th century.I.Awulachew,Seleshi Bekele.
TC519.N6N56 2012
333.91620962–dc23
2012006183
ISBN:978-1-84971-283-5 (hbk)
ISBN:978-0-203-12849-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by FiSH Books,Enfield
CONTENTS
List of figures and tables vii
Acknowledgements xiv
Abbreviations xv
Contributors xviii
1 Introduction 1
Seleshi B.Awulachew,Vladimir Smakhtin,David Molden and Don Peden
2 Nile water and agriculture:past,present and future 5
Karen Conniff,David Molden,Don Peden and Seleshi B.Awulachew
3 The Nile Basin,people,poverty and vulnerability 30
James Kinyangi,Don Peden,Mario Herrero,Aster Tsige,Tom Ouna and An Notenbaert
4 Spatial characterization of the Nile Basin for improved water management 47
Solomon S.Demissie,Seleshi B.Awulachew,David Molden and Aster D.Yilma
5 Availability of water for agriculture in the Nile Basin 61
Robyn Johnston
6 Hydrological processes in the Blue Nile 84
Zachary M.Easton,Seleshi B.Awulachew,Tammo S.Steenhuis,Saliha Alemayehu
Habte,Birhanu Zemadim,Yilma Seleshi and Kamaleddin E.Basha
7 The Nile Basin sediment loss and degradation,with emphasis on the
Blue Nile 112
Tammo S.Steenhuis,Zachary M.Easton,Seleshi B.Awulachew,Abdalla A.Ahmed,
Kamaleddin E.Bashar,Enyew Adgo,Yihenew G.Selassie and Seifu A.Tilahun
v
Contents
8 Nile Basin farming systems and productivity 133
Poolad Karimi,David Molden,An Notenbaert and Don Peden
9 Livestock and water in the Nile River Basin 154
Don Peden,Tilahun Amede,Amare Haileslassie,Hamid Faki,Denis Mpairwe,
Paulo van Breugel and Mario Herrero
10 Overview of groundwater in the Nile River Basin 186
Charlotte MacAlister,Paul Pavelic,Callist Tindimugaya,Tenalem Ayenew,
Mohamed Elhassan Ibrahim and Mohamed Abdel Meguid
11 Wetlands of the Nile Basin:distribution,functions and contribution to
livelihoods 212
Lisa-Maria Rebelo and Matthew P.McCartney
12 Nile water governance 229
Ana Elisa Cascão
13 Institutions and policy in the Blue Nile Basin:understanding challenges and
opportunities for improved land and water management 253
Amare Haileslassie,Fitsum Hagos,Seleshi B.Awulachew,Don Peden,
Abdalla A.Ahmed,Solomon Gebreselassie,Tesfaye Tafesse,Everisto Mapedza and
Aditi Mukherji
14 Simulating current and future water resources development in the Blue Nile
river basin 269
Matthew P.McCartney,Tadesse Alemayehu,Zachary M.Easton and
Seleshi B.Awulachew
15 Water management intervention analysis in the Nile Basin 292
Seleshi B.Awulachew,Solomon S.Demissie,Fitsum Hagos,Teklu Erkossa and
Don Peden
Index 312
vi
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figures
2.1 The Nile River Basin 6
2.2 Placement of early dams on the Nile 19
3.1 Population growth in the Nile Basin 32
3.2 Water resources in the basin 33
3.3 Poverty levels in the Nile Basin 38
3.4 Biophysical vulnerability 42
3.5 Social vulnerability 43
3.6 Water-related risks 44
4.1 Topographic patterns of the Nile Basin 50
4.2 Climatic patterns of the Nile Basin from the Koppen-Geiger climate classification
and humidity zones derived from the International Water Management Institute
climate atlas 51
4.3 Water sources and sinks in the Nile Basin 52
4.4 Soil properties in the Nile Basin 53
4.5 Vegetation profiles in the Nile Basin 53
4.6 Environmentally sensitive areas 54
4.7 The dominant principal components of the biophysical factors 56
4.8 Water management classification framework for the Nile Basin 57
4.9 The hydronomic zones of the Nile Basin 58
5.1 The Nile Basin,showing major tributaries and sub-basins 63
5.2 Mean annual precipitation,mean annual potential evapotranspiration and humidity
index for the Nile Basin 64
5.3 Schematic of Nile flows 66
5.4 Spatial patterns of seasonal flow in the Nile sub-basins,displayed as proportion of
annual flow in each calendar month 67
5.5 Monthly variation in humidity index for Nile sub-basins 1951–2000,illustrating
spatial variability of timing and duration of growing season 68
5.6 Land cover in the Nile Basin 69
vii
List offigures and tables
5.7 Water account for the Nile,showing partitioning of rainfall into ET (by land use
category) and locally generated run-off for each sub-catchment and the basin as
a whole 72
6.1 Biweekly summed rainfall/discharge relationships for Andit Tid,Anjeni and
Maybar 89
6.2 Probability of soil infiltration rate being exceeded by a five-minute rainfall intensity
for the Andit Tid and Anjeni watersheds 90
6.3 Average daily water level for three land uses calculated above the impermeable
layer superimposed with daily rainfall and for three slope classes in the Maybar
catchment 93
6.4 Piezometric water-level data transect 1 in the upper part of the watershed where
slope is even 94
6.5 Plot run-off coefficient computed from daily 1988,1989,1992 and 1994 rainfall
and run-off data for different slopes in the Maybar catchment and run-off depths
for various slope classes in the Andit Tid catchment 95
6.6 Calibration results of average monthly observed and predicted flow at the Gumera
gauge using SWAT 99
6.7 Framework of the coupled Water Balance Simulation Model–Ethiopia and Self-
Organizing Map models 100
6.8 Digital Elevation Model,reaches,sub-basins and sub-basin outlets initialized in the
Blue Nile Basin SWAT model 101
6.9 Land use/land cover in the Blue Nile Basin (ENTRO) and the Wetness Index
used in the SWAT Blue Nile Model 101
6.10 Daily observed and predicted discharge at the Sudan border 105
6.11 Daily observed and predicted discharge from the Gumera sub-basin 106
6.12 Daily observed and predicted discharge from the Anjeni micro-watershed 107
6.13 Predicted average yearly spatial distribution of discharge in the BNB (main) and
predicted run-off distribution in the Gumera sub-watershed for an October
1997 event 108
7.1 Typical monthly sediment concentrations,cumulative sediment load over time at
Ribb at Addis Zemen station,a tributary of Lake Tana and the Blue Nile 114
7.2 Variation of storage with time at various reservoir levels in the Roseires reservoir 115
7.3 Mean monthly concentration of sediment in the SCRP watersheds 116
7.4 Measured discharge and sediment concentration on 24 April 1992 and 19 July
1992 for the Anjeni watershed 117
7.5 Stratified biweekly storm concentration versus discharge for Anjeni 118
7.6 Map of the Debre-Mawi watershed with the gully area outlined in red with a
contributing area of 17.4 ha and the Debre-Mawi gully extent generated by
hand-held GPS tracking 119
7.7 Average water table and gully depths before and after the 2008 rainy season for
the main stem (gully C) using the soil surface as a reference elevation point and
change in top and bottom widths of the gully and average water table depth above
the gully bottom 121
7.8 Comparison of modified USLE for Ethiopia and observed soil losses in the
Debre-Mawi watershed 123
7.9 Predicted and observed streamflow and sediment concentration for Anjeni
watershed 124
viii