Without any doubt, the High Aswan Dam in Egypt has been the most well-known dam in the world in the past fi ve decades. From Argentina to Australia and from Tokyo to Timbuktu, professionals in water management and development are often familiar with the High Aswan Dam, even though they may not be aware of the names and locations of major dams in their own countries. The logical question that arises is why are numerous people aware of a dam in a distant part of the world, which they have never visited, when they often lack even elementary knowledge of important dams in their own regions? What is so special about the High Aswan Dam that has made it one of the world’s most well-known, if not the most well-known, and most discussed water infrastructures in the world?
By Asit K. Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada, Chapter of the book: Impacts of Large Dams: A Global Assessment, edited by Dogan Altinbilek, Cecilia Tortajada and Asit K. Biswas, 2012, Springer, Berlin, pages 379-395. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-23571-9_17