What are the disadvantage of Aswan High Dam?

Answer 1

Disadvantages:

1) The land of Nubia had to be flooded to create the reservoir, which is 310 miles in length. Religious buildings, homes and cemeteries have been lost. They were photographed before the land was flooded.

2) 10 000 people had to move from their homes in Nubia to other places in Egypt. Some of the people did not want to move house.

3) Sometimes the Aswan High Dam gets blocked by silt and mud. It has to be cleaned, which is expensive. The blocked silt and mud can also create diseases in Lake Nasser. If people drank this water they would become ill. The water has to be cleaned before it is suitable to drink.

4) The temples of Abeu Sibel had to be moved. This took a long time, as each stone had to be removed individually.

5) Some of the water from Lake Nasser is lost every year (about 15%). This is because some leaks through the dam and the rest is lost by evaporation. This is a waste of water.

6) The Nile delta is becoming smaller. This is because the Nile no longer carries any sediment and pebbles downstream from the dam. The pebbles and sediment get stuck behind the dam. Wildlife is losing its home because the delta is shrinking in size.

Answer 2

One disadvantage is preventing the mud, which helped fertilize the soil before the construction of the High Dam in Aswan, from passing through.