and this mighty river is not just a lifeline for egypt either the white nile and blue nile joined in sudan and the nile continues its journey northward towards the mediterranean today this waterway provides around three hundred million people in five different countries with water but by twenty thirty the region's population is forecast to reach three hundred ninety six million will the nile still be able to meet their water needs especially given that africa's largest dam is currently being built in ethiopia. beyond this simple string barrier lies one of the most sacred locations in ethiopia . only orthodox christian males who are fasting and barefoot are allowed past the legendary source of the blue nile or as it's called here is off limits for all others some one hundred kilometers downriver the precious waters flow into lake tana the largest lake in ethiopia. one of the many orthodox monasteries which dot this region is located on a small island in the middle of the lake every mariam. belief in the power of the rivers waters draws pilgrims to debra mariam as well. priest to met hi

the white nile and blue nile join in sudan, and the nile continues its journey northwards towards the mediterranean. today, this waterway provides around 300 million people in five different countries with water. but by 2030, the region's population is forecast to reach 396 million. will the nile still be able meet all their water needs? especially given that africa's largest dam is currently being built in ethiopia. reporter: beyond this simple string barrier lies one of the most sacred locations in ethiopia. only orthodox christian males, who are fasting and barefoot, are allowed past. the legendary source of the blue nile, or gish abay as it's called here, is off-limits for all others. some 100 kilometers downriver, the precious waters flow into lake tana -- the largest lake in ethiopia. one of the many orthodox monasteries which dot this region is located on a small island in the middle of the lake -- debre maryam. belief in the power of the river's water draws pilgrims to debre maryam as well. priest eshete medhem was born and raised on the banks of the abay river. eshete: abay m

the flow of the blue nile to egypt. feeling they had secured the full length of the nile britain's decision makers in london began to put in place the next phase of their master plan economic gain. from quite early on the british also decided to transform egypt into the cotton farm of the textile industries and like it here in the. british reliance on egyptian cotton began to increase. and. to boost the harvest the british set out to revolutionize egypt's irrigation system a system dating back thousands of years. they gave a oddity to the both countries deny countries their old engineers what the plan is running down from the colonials service and teed experienced guys. given a lot of plans another political freedom so that they really could take the nile in head. the british came up with the idea for a dam in southern egypt to hold back the nile flood and use its waters for irrigation. construction on the ass when low dam began in eighteen one thousand nine. it was officially opened three years later at the time it was

the get zero region in sudan between the blue nile and the white nile was an area with the potential to become the largest cotton growing region in the world. that to france to motives or to main strategic and is that they can see it as good or wrong to increase the cup. production in sudan for the benefit of the british taste of history secondly this hue if it is not really in control of the know is running through saddam and his who has the power and. the bit it has a power in saddam. british attempts to intimidate the egyptians only further inflamed nationalist sentiment. a crisis point was reached when in november one thousand nine hundred twenty four salinas stack commander in chief of the egyptian army and governor of sudan was assassinated while driving through the streets of cairo. the assassins were arrested and sentenced to death. but the murder of the british official was a turning point london now found its reason to implement the good zero scheme. what they did was that ok you killed the governor general then the will take more work from the nile as a punishment so this

this week on global three thousand we're off to the blue nile for many ethiopians the rivers will say is sacred soon it will provide power at that country.

to be some progress in resolving a deadlock over a hydroelectric dam ethiopia is building all the blue nile sudan egypt and ethiopia have been at odds over the project but leaders from the three countries met on the sidelines of the african union submitted and is out of a sudan's foreign minister has told us they've agreed on a mechanism to reconcile their differences i can tell you that for now the dispute is over and i hope that this would not be a temporary reserve edition. the two presidents and if those who don't met the president met also with the prime minister individually and then today via love to the meeting was held issues were discussed in a very to our spirit and for our commander and the city president to agree to a vis the issue of the. thousands of you need workers from the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees are protesting garza against planned budget cuts this follows the u.s. decision to cut billions of dollars worth of funding to the aid agency. and floodwaters in paris have reached their peak but towns downstream along the river seine are bracing for a possible breach

it's completion it's one point eight kilometer world straddles the blue nile in a deep gorge where the north and ethiopian mountains slope downwards to words the sudanese border it says of water would have the capacity to hold up to seventy four billion cubic meters of water and it spans an area of one thousand six hundred eighty square kilometers ethiopian officials say the sole purpose of the dam is to generate electricity but egypt the major downstream benefit of the nile water is deeply concerned it says ethiopia is trying to control the flow of the nile which could threaten its water security. or usually work and cooperate to avoid any kind of tension and there are some issues that should be taken away and separated from others and i think the water issue for egypt sudan ethiopia should bring us together in unity because it's the issue related to the future and the interest of the three countries. egypt is concerned about a rapid filling up of the reservoir could drastically reduce the flow of water from the blue nile ethiopia has not said how long it will take to feel that as a w

the six thousand megawatt dummy is completion it's one point eight kilometer world straddles the blue nile in a deep gorge where the north an ethiopian mountains slope downwards to words the sudanese border it says would have the capacity to hold up to seventy four billion cubic meters of water and it spans an area of one thousand six hundred eighty square kilometers ethiopian officials say the sole purpose of the dam is to generate electricity but egypt the major downstream benefit of the nile water is deeply concerned it says ethiopia is trying to control the flow of the nile which could threaten its water security in the. other one usually work and cooperate to avoid any kind of tension and there are some issues that should be taken away and separated from others and i think the water issue for egypt sudan ethiopia should bring us together in union because it's the issue related to the future and the interest of the three countries. egypt is concerned about filling up of the reservoir could drastically reduce the flow of water from the blue nile ethiopia has not said how long it will ta

this may become global three thousand we're off to the blue nile for many ethiopians the rivers will say is sacred soon it will provide power to the country too.

another issue on the sidelines that appears so grab the headlines ethiopia's hydroelectric dam on the blue nile so don egypt any have been at odds over the project but a short time ago leaders from the three countries met on the sidelines of the e.u. summit in august and agreed to resolve their differences let's go to hush covering the summit in august for us so what have these three countries agreed and will this be a lasting agreement. funny they came here to this other with the aim to settle their differences and agree on how to move forward when it comes to the dam that has been built by the opium on the nile now this is a very complicated. issue here for different reasons first of all egypt is concerned that the dam is going to disrupt the flow of water to about one hundred million. egyptians and they say this is a red line and a threat to the national security of egypt but when they were talking about the need to solve this problem there was a new crisis between egypt and sudan over the triangle area on the border between the two countries this has complicated the. breach in a deal to the