Evaporation from Lake Nasser exceeds Seine's flow

Lake Nasser, a massive artificial lake in Egypt, loses about 12 billion cubic meters of water each year due to evaporation. This amount is greater than the annual flow of the Seine River, which transports around 9.8 billion cubic meters of water to Paris each year.

Impact of evaporation in an arid region

In a country as arid as Egypt, water loss through evaporation has serious consequences. The high rate of evaporation from Lake Nasser, which serves as Egypt's primary water reserve, threatens the country's ability to manage its limited water resources effectively.

History of Lake Nasser's construction

The idea of building a dam at Aswan originated with Adrian Daninos, a Greek-born engineer, after the 1952 revolution. His proposal aimed to control Nile floods, generate electricity, and create a water storage system to help Egypt manage water during both flood and drought periods.

Role of Lake Nasser in Egypt's water security

The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1971, has played a crucial role in protecting Egypt from drought and famine. During the floods from 1979 to 1987, the dam helped retain nearly 70 billion cubic meters of water, reinforcing its status as Egypt's "water reserve."

Water loss to the west and potential new rivers

Lake Nasser also loses water to the west, where overflow accumulates in desert depressions. Geologist Mohamed Sultan suggested this could potentially create a second Nile. In 1998, astronauts identified the first of the Toshka lakes, which at their peak covered about 1,450 square kilometers.

Efforts to reduce evaporation

In 2021, scientists proposed installing floating solar panels on Lake Nasser to reduce evaporation. Shading the lake could cut water loss by 70%, saving around 8.4 billion cubic meters annually. However, covering even half of the lake would be a significant engineering challenge.