Today we are going to talk about one of the most important engineering constructions that have taken place in the XNUMXth century. It's about the Aswan dam. Its construction began in 1960 and ended in 1970. It took 10 years of construction necessary to alleviate the annual floods and occasional droughts that Egypt experienced. Today, the Aswan Dam has become a source of electricity supply by which Egypt can develop.
In this article we are going to tell you about all the characteristics and the origin of the Aswan Dam.
Key features
When we talk about the Aswan High Dam we are referring to the Aswan High Dam. That is, there are two dams called high and low. The downside is much smaller in size and earlier have the time. Seeing that the slope was not of sufficient size to be able to alleviate the problems of floods and seasonal droughts, the great Aswan dam was built. And it is that the Aswan dam measures 3.600 meters in length and up to 111 meters in height. It is one of the most impressive constructions made by human beings. The base is 980 meters wide and gradually decreases to 40 meters at the top. This impressive infrastructure has become a symbol of modern engineering capability that is reflected in other great constructions around the world, including large-scale projects and the development of hydraulic infrastructure.
Its construction required 43 million cubic meters of stone and 10 years to complete. The construction of this dam marked the beginning of Lake Nasser. This lake is about 500 kilometers long and up to 16 kilometers wide. It occupies a total of 6.000 square kilometers of water, making it the largest man-made lake in the world. These constructions were necessary because Egypt was experiencing problems with droughts and floods. The floods could not be stopped because there was no infrastructure to store water. The same was true of the negative impacts of a drought. Since rainfall was lower in some seasons of the year, water could not be stored for supply and irrigation.
Dimensions and low dam
The flooded area formed by Lake Nasser required the relocation of more than 90.000 people and up to 24 monuments. The most important monuments displaced by the formation of the Aswan Dam were the temples of Abu Simbel and Philae. The dam has 12 generators of 175 megawatts of power and each one has a hydroelectric production of 10.000 GWh / year. In the early days, given that electricity demand wasn't that high, it was able to supply half of Egypt's total demand. This demonstrates how electricity can be a fundamental pillar of a country's development.
On the other hand, as we mentioned before, there are several Aswan Dams. The Aswan Low Dam was built by the British in the late 54th century and is XNUMX meters high. Although it was expanded twice during the XNUMXth century, it was about to overflow in 1946. This is due to the large amount of heavy rains causing flooding that this dam could not deal with. It was then at that moment when the idea of building a new dam with a greater volume to be able to alleviate these flood problems began to be considered.
Many tourists want to visit the Aswan Dam, and their visit consists of traveling along the road at the top. Once you've traveled all the way to the top, you have to stop your vehicle in a parking lot in the middle of the construction site. From there, you can see the water level and the immensity of the dam on both sides. There's no way to visit the interior or the turbine hall where hydroelectric power is generated. To this day, this dam has not become a tourist attraction. However, it is interesting for tourists visiting the region to also explore other iconic sites that reflect Egypt's cultural richness.
Although this visit can't be classified as a must-see, being only a short stop, it's often an interesting addition to many excursions. If you're on a trip to the Philae Temple and the Unfinished Obelisk, it's worth stopping at this dam to see it.
Origin of the Aswan Dam
No other type of dam has had as much history as this one. When it was completed in 1970, it entered the top ten of many world dam and reservoir rankings. It is currently in the top 8 in terms of surface area and in the top 4 for reservoir capacity. What had the greatest impact on the world after its construction was the work carried out with the help of many countries to save the magnificent Egyptian temples that stood on the banks of the Nile. These numerous temples were going to be submerged under the water of the future reservoir. To this end, 52 countries collaborated in the work of relocating the temples, without spending a large sum of money.
This story took place in the middle of the Cold War, a time of power struggles and territorial wars. The construction of the Aswan Dam it became a forced exodus for thousands of people who had to move. It also became a race against time to save unique monuments that are more than 4.000 years old. In this historical context, the importance of water becomes evident in a nation where, let's remember, 98% of the territory is desert.
It's important to keep in mind that Egypt is 98% desert, and only the banks of the Nile are inhabited and fertile. This means that a dam can ensure a year-round water supply and prevent damage caused by unexpected river floods. This project changed life in Egypt. In addition to water, it would allow electricity to reach more than 20.000 localities that did not yet have it. As we mentioned earlier, a British dam already existed in Aswan, but it was only 30 meters high and couldn't store enough water. It was regularly overflowed by the Nile River's floods and could only store water for a year.
With a series of reforms spearheaded by the new government, the search for a flagship project began, and efforts began to secure funding and assistance. After securing financing for the monumental construction, construction began. This dam has several functions: it seeks to protect the population from the Nile River's historic floods, stores water for irrigation and consumption, and produces hydroelectric power.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Aswan Dam and its origins.