Desertification and Aswan High Dam Notes

Top of page 65 in white margin SS7G2a. Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water impacts irrigation, trade, industry, and drinking water.

Desertification (page. 65) Where is this occurring? In the Sahel - dry grassland just south of the Sahara Caused by humans: Cutting down trees and shrubs for firewood and farmland (deforestation) Animals Overgrazing Drought

Aswan High Dam (page 66) Positives Negatives

Aswan High Dam Positives Land doesn’t flood anymore Can plant crops year around Can plant a variety of crops now Provides water for irrigation Navigation along the Nile has improved Hydroelectric power

Nile River flowing through Cairo, Egypt.

Aswan High Dam Negatives Silt is no longer naturally deposited; therefore, expensive chemical fertilizers have to be bought Sardines and shrimp at the mouth of the Nile and the Mediterranean Sea are dying People were relocated Lake Nassar took 200,000 people’s homes River bank and delta is eroding Expensive to build and maintain