
Egypt's Aswan Damn - paulorlando
https://unintendedconsequenc.es/egypts-aswan-damn/
======
JackFr
While I don't don't doubt the value of the book overall, I appreciate the
blogger's skepticism. When the story seems too perfect to be true, it most
likely isn't.

I find the same thing often in Malcolm Gladwell -- the thesis or a close
variant of it is true, but the anecdotes are too pat and perfect.

~~~
delinka
>When the story seems too perfect to be true, it most likely isn't [true].

I was expecting to read

>When the story seems too perfect to be true, it most likely isn't [too
perfect].

I only comment in case someone else makes my mistake.

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wglb
While the author makes good points about that aspect of the book, it is
nonetheless a book worth the read in today's world. I have seen this many
times throughout the career and I call it the "The thing i built does WHAT??"
syndrome.

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pjc50
I vaguely remembered that this was the first of a number of notorious World
Bank dam projects, so went googling; it turns out to be geopolitically even
stranger: [https://adst.org/2016/06/dont-give-dam-feud-financing-
aswan-...](https://adst.org/2016/06/dont-give-dam-feud-financing-aswan-high-
dam/)

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MarsAscendant
_Systemantics_ , the book the article is based on, sounds like a good addition
to a system designer's library.

Any reviews from people who've read it?

~~~
danielvf
It’s an extremely good book. Not only useful to a system designer, but anyone
who ever interacts with bureaucracies, or who works in organizations with more
than ten people.

~~~
dullroar
I concur - "Systemantics" (now "The Systems Bible") is an excellent book. I
had a boss turn me onto it in the 1980s, and to this day I still quote from
it, and re-read it about once a decade just to keep the lessons fresh.

~~~
paulorlando
It is a great book.

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benj111
Ok fag packet out.

Aswan dam production: 10000gwh [1]

Area of Egyptian farmland 3000000 ha [2]

Energy input for fertilising ha of wheat: 3000kwh [3] (it could be 47% of
this?, but then theres 3 harvests a year...)

=9000 gwh

So the figure seems plausible?

[1]
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam)

[2]
[http://www.fao.org/docrep/v9978e/v9978e0e.htm](http://www.fao.org/docrep/v9978e/v9978e0e.htm)

[3]
[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279037757_Energy_re...](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279037757_Energy_requirements_and_economic_analysis_of_wheat_rice_and_barley_production_in_Australia)

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soniman
Aswan Dam also lead to the prevalence of schistosomiasis, or bilharzia. Kind
of a big unintended consequence.

~~~
swiftcoder
Interestingly, Wikipedia cites an EPA study as saying that it did not in fact
increase the incidence of bilharzia.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam#Health](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam#Health)

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carlob
There is also the whole question of salinization. I highly recommend Cadillac
Desert

