ASWAN: A granite inscription tells us that for seven years during the reign of the ancient Egyptian king Djoser, the Nile failed to go through its annual flooding cycle, causing a devastating drought and famine.
The hieroglyphs on Nile’s Sehel Island near Aswan in southern Egypt are more than 4,000 years old, but worries about the natural rhythm of the Nile, which provides 90% of Egypt’s fresh water, are of no less importance today.
“The Nile does not reach its previous levels in the winter and summer flows,” said 52-year-old Abdel Hares Mohamed, a resident of Aswan who gives Nile boat rides to tourists.
Officials say Egypt currently has around 570 cubic meters (150,000 gallons) of water per person per year. Experts consider a country as water poor if its supply is less than 1,000 cubic meters per person annually.
Experts blame population growth, climate change and a giant hydropower dam built by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile, which Egyptian authorities say poses a threat to its water security.
Ethiopia says it has taken the needs of Egypt and Sudan into account in the construction and scheduled fillings of its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
While modern day Egyptians can still empathize with King Djoser’s plight, the measures he took to counter the drought would not get much support today. The ancient pharao was instructed by Imhoteb, the designer of his famous Step Pyramid, to offer a sacrifice to Khnum, God of the Nile.
“When Egypt had a famine for seven years, he (King Djoser) made a council ... And Imhoteb told him: we have to give an offering to Khnum,” said egyptologist Zahi Hawass. “Because Khnum controlled the water from the Nile.”
“The Nile is the soul of Egypt,” he said.
Ancient inscription reminds modern Egypt of drought risk
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Ancient inscription reminds modern Egypt of drought risk
- The hieroglyphs on Nile’s Sehel Island near Aswan in southern Egypt are more than 4,000 years old
Israeli forces demolish Palestinian house near Salfit
- The house, which was under construction, belonged to Sami Samir Naji
- Israeli authorities conducted a total of 538 demolitions last year
LONDON: Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian house under construction in Kafr Ad-Dik, a town west of Salfit in the northern occupied West Bank, on Wednesday.
Israeli troops, accompanied by military bulldozers, stormed the town and proceeded to the Sha’ab area, where they began demolishing a house that was under construction belonging to Sami Samir Naji, according to the Wafa news agency.
The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported that Israeli authorities conducted a total of 538 demolitions last year, which destroyed 1,400 structures. This included 304 inhabited homes, 74 uninhabited homes, 270 economic facilities, and 490 agricultural facilities. The demolitions primarily took place in the governorates of Hebron, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Tubas, and Nablus, Wafa added.
Excluding East Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, there are about 3 million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank.
