# Abu Simbel



## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

Dozens of farmers in the Abu Simbel area have ended a sit-in and released 204 tourists they had held hostage inside their buses to demand the provision of irrigation water for their farms

Abu Simbel farmers release tourists held over water shortage | Egypt Independent


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

I understand the sentiment behind it but it really does nothing for the tourist trade


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> I understand the sentiment behind it but it really does nothing for the tourist trade


I know but what other tools have they got to put pressure and bring attention to their problems?


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## Whitedesert (Oct 9, 2011)

aykalam said:


> I know but what other tools have they got to put pressure and bring attention to their problems?


 Catch 22 situation, because Egypt and Egyptian jobs suffer either way...


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

I guess the only way they can get the government's attention is to hit them where it hurts most, tourism revenue. At least it is non-violent protest.


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## Eco-Mariner (Jan 26, 2011)

This agricultural land near Abu Simbel is directly above the River Nile water table and as there is 10 times more Nile water underground than we see above, the only shortage is of Egyptian attitudes to extracting it and delivering it to help farmers meet demand.

It is typical short-sightedness really. If the engineers can remove and reassemble the whole monument to Abu Simbel 60 meters above the cliff to fill the Aswan Dam, I'm damn sure irrigation is an easier task instead of risking tourist trade. 


Eco-Mariner.


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

It's a sad reality of the result of decades of corruption and mismanagement in the government that Egypt is now the largest importer of wheat in the world.


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