0:00:00 > 0:00:02At ten o'clock, Fiona Bruce will have the full round-up of the news,
0:00:02 > 0:00:07but first, we look at the world's longest river in this special
0:00:07 > 0:00:09programme Damming the Nile.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14The River Nile is the world's longest river.
0:00:14 > 0:00:23It's where the world's first war over water could be fought.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26The first of its two great tributaries, the White Nile,
0:00:26 > 0:00:32flows from Lake Victoria, but our journey begins in Ethiopia,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34following the Blue Nile from Lake Tana as it sweeps
0:00:34 > 0:00:37through Africa's Grand Canyon to where a dam is being built close
0:00:37 > 0:00:46to the Sudan border.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51Lake Tana, the source of the river, is a place of myth and legend.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It's the biggest lake in Ethiopia and many of its 37 islands
0:00:54 > 0:00:57have their own monasteries.
0:00:57 > 0:01:05It's a very sacred place for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11This monastery dates back to the 14th century.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15Some of these paintings are more than 400 years old.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18The Nile appears in the Old Testament and legend has it
0:01:18 > 0:01:25that the Ark of the Covenant was briefly brought here.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29But all is not calm on these waters.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32The struggle for control of this great river is dividing the three
0:01:32 > 0:01:38countries that shade it.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39-- share it.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42The Nile is the bringer of life, from when it launches itself
0:01:42 > 0:01:49downstream it has the power to bring peace or bring war.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54This is where the Blue Nile begins its long journey.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56From here up in the Ethiopian Highlands it will cut
0:01:56 > 0:01:59through caverns and canyons, across plains through Sudan
0:01:59 > 0:02:04and Egypt and into a delta of the Mediterranean Sea.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Around 85% of that water comes from here and that is why a vast
0:02:07 > 0:02:17new dam being built in Ethiopia is dividing nations.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26This is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and it is driving
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Ethiopia's ambitious plans for Industrial Revolution,
0:02:30 > 0:02:35to put its growing population to work to power the region
0:02:35 > 0:02:39and to tame the river, but it's also at the heart of a row
0:02:39 > 0:02:41that has sucked in Sudan and Egypt and threatens peace
0:02:41 > 0:02:45in this part of Africa.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48When it's finished, this will be the largest hydroelectric power
0:02:48 > 0:02:50station in Africa and one of the biggest dams
0:02:50 > 0:02:56on the continent.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59It will not only power this country but the surroundings
0:02:59 > 0:03:00countries as well.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Ethiopia didn't even ask the countries down the stream before
0:03:02 > 0:03:04it started building.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06That is the scale of this country's ambition.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10After just five years of work, it's almost two thirds complete.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15This project is a project that is being built by Ethiopians
0:03:15 > 0:03:17and that will benefit other African brothers, sisters
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and other countries.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and other countries.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25and other countries.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27The project manager says it is costing at least
0:03:27 > 0:03:34$4.5 billion and that is probably an underestimate.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36He insists that downstream countries shouldn't worry as it is not
0:03:37 > 0:03:37consuming any water.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43This is a hydroelectric project.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45It is a water-consuming scheme project that is only dedicated
0:03:46 > 0:03:51to generate electricity.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53This shows how the government of Ethiopia, how the people
0:03:53 > 0:03:55of the nations, are committed themselves to eradicate our
0:03:55 > 0:04:02common enemy, poverty.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04The construction works are impressive.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06This second dam sweeps across a 5km valley,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09joining two mountains to create the edge of a vast reservoir.
0:04:09 > 0:04:15All this and a lot more will be flooded.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Once finished and filled, it will cover more than 1,800 square
0:04:18 > 0:04:21kilometres, larger than the size of Greater London.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26It will flood the Blue Nile for nearly 250km upstream.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29If it is filled too fast, it will reduce the amount of water
0:04:29 > 0:04:31that flows to Sudan and Egypt.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36Thousands of people have already been moved to make way for the lake.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38The power lines are ready and waiting for the electricity
0:04:38 > 0:04:45the dam will provide.
0:04:45 > 0:04:4770% of Ethiopia - that's 70 million people -
0:04:47 > 0:04:48don't have electricity.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51It is holding back the country's grand plans for development
0:04:51 > 0:04:54and it is why people support a project they are paying for.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57TRANSLATION:If we had electricity, we would be able to get
0:04:57 > 0:04:58what the village needs.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00For instance, the villagers here make a living by farming.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04If we had electricity, we would be able to create jobs on our own,
0:05:04 > 0:05:13including metal and woodwork.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17As well as that, we would also be able to own TVs,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22a fridge and so many other things.
0:05:22 > 0:05:31Modernisation is already changing life in the capital, Addis Ababa.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35This is East Africa's first metro system.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37The amount of construction going on speaks volumes.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Ethiopia wants to pull as people out of poverty,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42to create jobs and get over its historic image
0:05:42 > 0:05:49of drought and famine.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50It's Africa's fastest-growing economy right now,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52but with a population set
0:05:52 > 0:05:58to double in 30 years, it needs to grow even faster just
0:05:58 > 0:06:00faster just to keep up, hence the need for cheap
0:06:00 > 0:06:02renewable energy.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04But the cost of government ambition is human rights.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Freedom of speech and democracy.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Protests across the country are being crushed.
0:06:12 > 0:06:21To the government, development is everything.
0:06:21 > 0:06:31It is one of the most important flagship projects for Ethiopia.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33It is a project that will transform the country,
0:06:33 > 0:06:34it's very important.
0:06:34 > 0:06:40There is money to spend and the minister says that people
0:06:40 > 0:06:42will pay for the dam through a lottery,
0:06:42 > 0:06:43contributions and taxes.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45He insists that despite its fears, Egypt will get more
0:06:45 > 0:06:46rather than less water.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49It's not about control of the flow, it's really
0:06:49 > 0:06:57about providing opportunity for us to do the development.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00It has a lot of benefit for the downstream countries.
0:07:00 > 0:07:09Construction on the dam is going on around the clock,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12such is the urgency to get this build and generate power,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16but because Ethiopia didn't consult with Egypt or Sudan before starting
0:07:16 > 0:07:18starting construction work during the Arab Spring, talks
0:07:18 > 0:07:19with countries keep collapsing.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22A new political order is emerging and Egypt doesn't like it.
0:07:22 > 0:07:31I've spoken to senior people in Ethiopia who have said
0:07:31 > 0:07:40that they are afraid of a war with Egypt over water.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42That they might bomb it down.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43That's the level of anger.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44What do you think about that?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46I don't think so.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48These kind of extreme ideas are not welcome.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51This will not happen in this region, I am sure.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54There is no record in history of war erupting because of water.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55The water belongs to all of us.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59We have to develop it in responsible ways,
0:07:59 > 0:08:05not thinking about war.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09But whatever he says, the Blue Nile can now be controlled
0:08:09 > 0:08:13by Ethiopia and that is a big concern for Egypt when so much
0:08:13 > 0:08:15of the water that reaches Cairo comes from here.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Sudan, however its next top, likes the look of the cheap
0:08:17 > 0:08:19electricity heading its way.
0:08:19 > 0:08:29The waters of the Nile bring life to Sudan,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32One of the world's biggest irrigation schemes was created
0:08:32 > 0:08:38here more than a century ago to grow cotton for Britain's
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Britain's Industrial Revolution, but now it is the gulf states
0:08:40 > 0:08:44who need what Sudan can grow.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48The Blue Nile heads north through these vast irrigated lands
0:08:48 > 0:08:50to join the White Nile before meandering through a desert
0:08:50 > 0:08:51steeped in ancient history.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54We are following it to ask if a row over who controls
0:08:54 > 0:09:01its flow could lead to war.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04It's here in Khartoum that the Blue Nile and the White Nile meet
0:09:04 > 0:09:06and merge and then head north to Egypt.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12The river has travelled about a third of its way
0:09:12 > 0:09:15from its source to the sea and is growing and strengthening
0:09:15 > 0:09:18in size.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21So what does Sudan, this vast country now emerging
0:09:21 > 0:09:23from years of US sanctions, think about Ethiopia
0:09:23 > 0:09:25building this dam upstream?
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Well, it thinks it's a great idea.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Land is not in short supply and with the power of the sun
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and the waters of the Nile, Sudan's agricultural
0:09:33 > 0:09:38potential is huge.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42This is alfalfa, top-quality cattle feed, and this farm can cut five
0:09:42 > 0:09:52-- nine harvests a year primarily for callous but also
0:09:52 > 0:09:53for export
0:09:53 > 0:09:56to the Middle East.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Sudan has the right to take billions of gallons of water every year
0:09:59 > 0:10:01through old treaties with Egypt, but claims it hasn't been
0:10:01 > 0:10:02using its full allocation.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04The suggestion it now might is a source of tension
0:10:05 > 0:10:12with its northern neighbour.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15This farm is owned by a massive private company that is everything
0:10:15 > 0:10:21from agriculture to mining, from cars to health care.
0:10:21 > 0:10:27Its owner is Sudan's richest man, who designed his own golf course.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31For Sudan, it is wonderful.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34It is the best thing that has happened for a long time and I think
0:10:34 > 0:10:36the combination of energy and regular water levels
0:10:36 > 0:10:40is a great blessing.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44is a great blessing.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Cheap electricity can be used for a lot more than just keeping
0:10:47 > 0:10:49your cows properly air-conditioned.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54It can bring faster development to Sudan, which is just emerging
0:10:54 > 0:10:55to take advantage
0:10:55 > 0:10:57from decades of crippling US sanctions and wants
0:10:57 > 0:10:58to take advantage
0:10:58 > 0:10:59of the opportunities.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02What do you think about the row between Ethiopia
0:11:02 > 0:11:03and Egypt about this dam?
0:11:03 > 0:11:11The Nile is the lifeline of Egypt
0:11:11 > 0:11:12so for them, I wouldn't say they're paranoid,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15but they are very concerned about anything to do
0:11:15 > 0:11:16with that water.
0:11:22 > 0:11:32And the Nile is a lifeline to Sudan as well.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Welcome to the first-ever festival of music and
0:11:36 > 0:11:42culture in this village.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48This village is about half a day's drive north of Khartoum.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It was abandoned 20 years ago, the mud houses left without roofs
0:11:51 > 0:11:54as the villagers moved away from the river banks to avoid
0:11:54 > 0:11:59catastrophic flooding.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02This woman remembers to huge floods from when she was a child.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Her father was the mayor.
0:12:03 > 0:12:13This is their house.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21TRANSLATION:Is an image from my life I will never forget. When the
0:12:21 > 0:12:291976 flood hit, it was hardest, some people use boards. It has lasted
0:12:29 > 0:12:34three weeks.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37people use boards. It has lasted three weeks.The whole village left,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40but now a dam upstream regulate the flow of water so doesn't flow as
0:12:40 > 0:12:43high, meaning they can hold festivals here and people can move
0:12:43 > 0:12:55back to this village, especially if it is cheap electricity on the way.
0:12:55 > 0:13:03It's a time of change in Khartoum. With the lifting of sanctions, there
0:13:03 > 0:13:09is a strong cafe culture where issues of the day I discussed -- are
0:13:09 > 0:13:17discussed. Most people here are in favour of the dam.On experience
0:13:17 > 0:13:22shows that it is a blessing to downstream countries especially if
0:13:22 > 0:13:29the intention is power generation. Do you think there is politics
0:13:29 > 0:13:37between the changing fortunes of the three countries?Water in general is
0:13:37 > 0:13:49becoming politicised not only in this region but elsewhere, but I
0:13:49 > 0:13:52think there will always be a political case involving the three
0:13:52 > 0:14:00countries, I think it will work out. He's diplomatic, but this is far
0:14:00 > 0:14:03from resolved. Talks between the three countries have collapsed and
0:14:03 > 0:14:12tensions across the whole region are growing as a result of it. The
0:14:12 > 0:14:18rivalries go back to the time of the pyramids. The Sudanese pediments. --
0:14:18 > 0:14:25pyramids. This is more than 2000 years old. The empire ruled Egypt
0:14:25 > 0:14:30from here. This was their capital. Powers rise and fall but all are
0:14:30 > 0:14:42linked by one great river.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01This is Egypt, the next stop on our trip and what a way to see it. We
0:15:01 > 0:15:09are flying in a hot air balloon over Luxor. The sun is just coming up,
0:15:09 > 0:15:14it's a stunning way to see this country. The reason we're here is to
0:15:14 > 0:15:17understand and get an explanation of why it is Egypt is so opposed to
0:15:17 > 0:15:34this dam that Ethiopia is building way up the Nile. Even though Egypt
0:15:34 > 0:15:39built the dam for its own development, it is angry with
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Ethiopia's plan. From Luxor, we will follow the river to Cairo and onto
0:15:43 > 0:15:49the Delta, the heart of the country's agriculture where water is
0:15:49 > 0:15:55everything. The Pharaohs used to worship the river as a god. Egypt,
0:15:55 > 0:16:00they said, was the gift of the Nile. Civilisations flourished here on the
0:16:00 > 0:16:03banks of the river. These temples represent thousands of years of
0:16:03 > 0:16:19wealth and power. The -- they are proud of the culture.The ancient
0:16:19 > 0:16:28Egyptians considered the Nile as lifeblood. It was life itself. Why?
0:16:28 > 0:16:34Because they use the Nile for everything. The Nile was alive and
0:16:34 > 0:16:43still is alive for Egyptian people in Egypt.And decades ago, Egypt
0:16:43 > 0:16:49decided the best way to protect its interests was to build a dam. Work
0:16:49 > 0:16:57on this dam began in 1960 and took ten years. It created the giant lake
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Nasser, nearly three times bigger than the new Ethiopian reservoir
0:17:00 > 0:17:05will be. It regulated the flooding of the Nile, generated power and a
0:17:05 > 0:17:09agricultural lands to be indicated. Tens of tens of thousands of people
0:17:09 > 0:17:13were forced from their homes and an ancient Egyptian temple had to be
0:17:13 > 0:17:17moved brick by brick but it was a symbol of great pride, a national
0:17:17 > 0:17:27project, rejecting power for revolutionary post-colonial Egypt.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32It has been good for this man, who at 60 has been a fisherman on the
0:17:32 > 0:17:42Nile for 40 years. Just like his father and grandfather before him.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46TRANSLATION:Our life and livelihood depends on the Nile. We as a family
0:17:46 > 0:17:51lived by the river. We fished, we grow crops on the islands in the
0:17:51 > 0:17:59Nile. Our cattle are fed from the Nile. All our food is from the Nile.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04He has heard about the dam in the Egyptian media. Ethiopia wants to
0:18:04 > 0:18:08control the Nile and its floor will be affected, but he's sceptical --
0:18:08 > 0:18:16its flow. The water would be affected, but
0:18:16 > 0:18:21only God knows what could happen if the dam the river there will be wars
0:18:21 > 0:18:32and fighting.And there are even bigger concerns downstream in
0:18:32 > 0:18:36chaotic Cairo. Egypt relies on the Nile for almost all its water but
0:18:36 > 0:18:39the population is growing fast. The United Nations is warning there will
0:18:39 > 0:18:46be water shortages by 2025 because of wastage and pollution. But the
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Government argues it is already recycling water, using it
0:18:50 > 0:18:53efficiently and importing wheat rather than using water to grow it.
0:18:53 > 0:19:04Egypt's water Minister says one big threat is climate change.It is
0:19:04 > 0:19:08unilateral action in upstream countries, it will have severe
0:19:08 > 0:19:16impacts downstream and this is a coordinated one.How angry are you?
0:19:16 > 0:19:20I am extremely angry because we are responsible for our nation which is
0:19:20 > 0:19:25100 million. One of the key things I would mention to you, if the water
0:19:25 > 0:19:32coming to Egypt is used by 2%, what does this mean? We lose about
0:19:32 > 0:19:40200,000 acres of land. One acre at least. If one acre makes one family
0:19:40 > 0:19:43survive, the average family in Egypt is five persons, so it means 1
0:19:43 > 0:19:48million will be jobless. He says that means more migrantsheading to
0:19:48 > 0:19:53Europe and more people to be recruited by terror groups.Europe
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and Egypt are suffering from what is happening in Syria and Libya and
0:19:57 > 0:20:02other countries so what if Egypt is added to these countries? What will
0:20:02 > 0:20:08happen? It is an international security issue.Experts say Egypt
0:20:08 > 0:20:12has the right to be angry. A dam was being discussed but Ethiopia started
0:20:12 > 0:20:17building without telling Egypt judging the Arab spring. The impact
0:20:17 > 0:20:24on stream has not been properly assessed and although the
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Renaissance Dam would extract water, filling it to quickly will reduce
0:20:26 > 0:20:29the flow downstream and it is a trust issue. Ethiopia can now
0:20:29 > 0:20:38control the river.It is very much a game changer. Now if Ethiopia is
0:20:38 > 0:20:43combining the physical power of being upstream country that can in
0:20:43 > 0:20:48one way or another control the Nile flow and the economic power of being
0:20:48 > 0:20:54able to construct the dam depending on its own domestic resources, so
0:20:54 > 0:20:59yeah, it's an indication, it is a manifestation that the power balance
0:20:59 > 0:21:04is changing in the region, economic way, politically and strategically
0:21:04 > 0:21:08as well. -- economic Delhi.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16The last stretch of the Nile is where its famous Cotton is grown
0:21:16 > 0:21:22alongside crops like rice, a notoriously thirsty crop. Irrigating
0:21:22 > 0:21:27fields by flooding them is one reason why so much water is wasted.
0:21:27 > 0:21:37The Delta is silting as the dam stops being replenished. The reason
0:21:37 > 0:21:41the Nile flood plains were so productive to begin with. It is now
0:21:41 > 0:21:46polluted and fish are dying and people are getting poorer. Saltwater
0:21:46 > 0:21:51is moving gradually upstream. It is sad to see how this great river ends
0:21:51 > 0:21:56up. This is it, this is where the River Nile reaches the end of its
0:21:56 > 0:21:59long journey. This behind me is the Mediterranean Sea. You can see the
0:21:59 > 0:22:04waves coming in, this is now saltwater. Whatever Egypt says it
0:22:04 > 0:22:09does, Ethiopia is building this dam. It's not an idea or a plan, it's a
0:22:09 > 0:22:12thing. You can already control the flow of the River Nile. Egypt has
0:22:12 > 0:22:16was been strong enough to dominate the countries upstream but that is
0:22:16 > 0:22:24changing. Talk of war is a foolish thing to do to solve political
0:22:24 > 0:22:28prices and every one we have spoken to, nobody thinks that is going to
0:22:28 > 0:22:31happen, but this is a really serious problem and needs to be sorted out
0:22:31 > 0:22:38quickly. The Nile is the place were the world's first war over what can
0:22:38 > 0:22:44be avoided. This could even become a model of how countries can learn to
0:22:44 > 0:22:49share great rivers. But for now, it's up to Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt
0:22:49 > 0:22:58to navigate tensions on the world's longest river.