002 - Multipurpose water scheme

Geographic Knowledge and Understanding

Increased dam building for multipurpose water schemes, and their cost and benefits. A case study of contemporary dam building expansion in one major drainage basin.

Concepts

Dam building creates the possibility to harness water for a number of purposes. Multipurpose dams can impact the traditional fluvial processes found within a drainage basin and this can impact the rivers use.

Aims

To have knowledge of why there is a need to increased the number of dams found within a drainage basin.
To have an understanding of the benefits and problems created by increased dam building.
To have knowledge of a specific drainage basin where the building of dams is increasing.

Key Terminology

- - - - Case Study
        Alluvium
        Gravity Dam
        Saddle Dam

Define the key terms above from our discussions and using the useful links below.

Useful Links

Activity One - Location - A reminder

We have already looked at the GERD for the syllabus point which investigates the issues of conflict on an internationally shared water source but lets go back to the location. This syllabus point focuses on a specific drainage.

Where are the sources of the Nile?
Where is the mouth of the Nile?
How many countries does the Nile flow through?
How many sub-catchments of the Nile are there?

Useful Resources

National Geographic - The Nile

The Nile River Basin

The Nile River basin Source: Map Design Unit of The World Bank. 2000. Nile River Basin. © World Bank. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution CC

Sub Catchments - The River Nile

Woodward, Jamie & Macklin, Mark & Fielding, Laura & Millar, Ian & Spencer, Neal & Welsby, Derek & Williams, Martin. (2015). Shifting sediment sources in the world's longest river: A strontium isotope record for the Holocene Nile. Quaternary Science Reviews. 130. 124-140. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.10.040.

Activity Two - Dams - Multipurpose water schemes

We are now going to explore very briefly different dams that exist along the Nile. This is to show how the dams along the river is being used for different purposes.

- 1. Choose five dams along the River Nile to very briefly explore.
  2. For each of your chosen dams research their age, location and purpose (for what purpose has the dam being built for). This could be in the form of a map. Use Google or AI to help you to do this.

Useful Resources

The dams along the Nile - BCM (Billon cubic metres)

Activity Three - Watch and/or Read

You have already explored the issues raised by concerning the building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. You are now going to look at The Nile from a different point of view to see how the increase in dam building allows different stakeholders to flourish. To do this collect a piece of A3 paper and a set of coloured pens and then watch the youtube clips below.

- 1. Choose a colour and pick one specific dam that you consider to be a multipurpose scheme. Name the dam and explain why it is considered to be multipurpose. Top Tip - Focus on the GERD. This is the main focus of the syllabus point.
  2. In a second colour write down the history of the dam and how it has been expanded.
  3. In a different coloured pen write down the costs of the dam. Think SEEP and to whom the dam is a problem for.
  4. In a fourth colour write down the benefits of the multipurpose dam. Think SEEP and to who the dam benefits.

Useful Resources

The Telegraph - Fear Ethiopian Dam will cut water supply

Notebook LM - Go down to the link, click on it and then use Notebook LM to answer the questions.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Multipurpose

TRT

Ethiopia's Controversial Renaissance Dam

Wall Street Journal

Ethiopia's New Dam

Exam Style Question

“Multi-purpose schemes result in more benefits than problems.” Discuss this statement, referring to a named dam-building scheme. [10 marks]

This lesson was development in collaboration with Richard Allaway from geographyalltheway. For more resources please visit www.geographyalltheway.com

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