Jonglei Canal Project Under Potential Developments in the Upper Nile States

Abstract

Nile basin countries are experiencing water scarcity due to rapid growth in population and climate change. This scarcity drew attention to the vast amount of water lost in the swamp areas of the Nile basin. Preventing this water loss is essential for reducing the food gap and promoting development in all Nile countries. Jonglei Canal is an important project that was proposed to reduce the vast water losses in the Sudd region in Southern Sudan. The Jonglei Canal project was launched and stopped in the 1980s due to civil war in Sudan. Recently Upper Nile riparian countries have published their plans for possible development projects which might significantly reduce flow to the Sudd region and hence reduce the potential water savings from Jonglei Canal. In addition, environmental concerns about the Jonglei Canal project have been raised by local tribes, that the project may reduce the size of swamps and adversely affect their grazing activities. This paper investigates the impact on the feasibility of the Jonglei Canal project of the proposed development projects in the upstream countries. The projected size of the swamp area is quantified under different scenarios of upstream development and Jonglei Canal operation. The Nile decision support tool (Nile DST model) and a HEC-RAS model were used for hydrologic and hydraulic simulations of the White Nile system. It was found that the ambitious expansion of irrigation projects may affect the benefits of the Jonglei Canal project. The hydraulic simulations indicated that the reduction in the swamp area due to Jonglei Canal would be of the order of only 7%, which could increase to 16% given the upstream developments.