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Article: Lakes bring new chance for life in Sahara Desert.(The Dallas Morning News)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- December 4, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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RENO, Nev. _ A change of biblical proportions is washing across the Sahara Desert. For the first time in 6,000 years, new lakes have risen from the sands of southern Egypt.
The Nile River, swollen by unusual rainfall, is spilling over a reservoir behind the Aswan High Dam. As expected, the water flows through an arroyo into an overflow lake. But the deluge has continued, and three more lakes now unexpectedly dot the desert.
In a land where water is scarce, this development could hold great promise, scientists say. The Egyptian government has already begun an irrigation project around the first lake. The "New Valley" project aims to draw people from ...