Egypt names Nubians entitled to compensation after Aswan Dam construction

CAIRO – 8 September 2019: Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Omar Marwan said that Aswan Governorate announced the names of Nubians entitled to compensation, as they were displaced by the construction of Aswan Dam and have not been compensated since then.

Egypt's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi had ordered addressing the problems of Nubian people affected by the construction of the dam since 1902, said Marwan in June.

In a statement on Saturday, Marwan, also the head of the national committee formed to pay the compensations to the entitled Nubians, said that the sub-committee concerned with identifying the requests of the affected Nubians has allocated the compensation asked by all of them.

He added that as many as 6,350 persons had applied for and deserved the compensation.

People affected by the establishment of the dam included 1,740 who sought compensation in cash, while 205 of them sought to be granted alternative housing units. Also, 2,126 of them asked to be given arable land, and 83 others sought to benefit from the state's future development plan.

Concerning those affected by building and raising the height of the reservoir, 2,009 of them were granted the ownership of the land where they built their current houses, while 187 others asked for ‎the right of usufruct.

On the other hand, 63 people have been excluded from the compensation plan, as it was found that they were compensated earlier.

Marwan said earlier in an interview with Egypt Today that each of the affected persons has the entitlement to apply for cash compensation of LE 25,000 ($1498) per feddan.

The story

Years ago, Egypt's former President Gamal Abdel Nasser instructed to build Egypt’s biggest national project, the High Dam.

The High Dam was built under the name of Aswan Dam. It was mainly meant to generate power and regulate the seasonal flooding of the Nile. Being one of the former leader’s greatest achievements for the Egyptians, especially the farmers, the dam was a dream that came true as people have suffered for years from the loss of their crops due to the unexpected seasonal floods.

The establishment of the dam started with Aswan Dam/reservoir in 1902. The increasing rate of water flow behind the dam flooded 44 Nubian villages and displaced 18000 Nubian families in the aftermath. The area is known now as “old Nubia”.

Nubians who deserted their houses and saw them sink beneath the rising water had to migrate to Kom Ambo area known as “New Nubia”. The biggest migration took place when the construction of the High Dam occurred in 1963. Nubians witnessed a shift in the way of life around the Nile to a new desert life in villages built for them in Kom Ambo.