Environment: Aswan's Impact

"The miracle has been wrought," Gamal Abdel Nasser proudly announced to the people of Egypt after completion of the first stage of the Aswan High Dam. Indeed, the great structure—built with Russian aid and designed to harness the Nile and vitalize the stagnant Egyptian economy—has irrevocably changed the environment of the Nile River Valley and the lives of its inhabitants. But the results have not all been positive, and there is growing debate about whether the economic benefits of Aswan are outweighed by the ecological damage that it has caused.

Critics of the dam...

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