Editing Blue Nile (section)

== Water flow ==
[[Image:Zusammenfluss der Nile.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers near [[Khartoum]], the capital of [[Sudan]]|alt=]]
The flow of the Blue Nile reaches maximum volume in the rainy season from June to September, when it supplies 80{{endash}}86% of the water of the Nile proper. The river was a major source of the [[flooding of the Nile]] in Egypt that contributed to the fertility of the Nile Valley and the consequent rise of [[Ancient Egypt]] and [[Egyptian mythology]]. With the completion of the [[Aswan Dam]] in 1970, these floods stopped occurring in lower Egypt. During the summer [[monsoon]] season, the Blue Nile floods erode a vast amount of fertile soil from the Ethiopian Highlands and carry it downstream as [[silt]], turning the water dark brown or almost black.<ref>{{cite web|title=Its Origin, Falls, and Gorge|url=http://www.dinkneshethiopiatour.com/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820192901/http://www.dinkneshethiopiatour.com/index.htm|archive-date=20 August 2015|access-date=11 October 2015|publisher=Dinknesh Ethiopia Tour}}</ref>

The Blue Nile is vital to the livelihood of Egypt: as the most significant tributary of the Nile, it contributes over 85% of the Nile's streamflow.<ref name="handle2012">Mohamed Helmy Mahmoud Moustafa Elsanabary{{Citation
| title= Teleconnection, Modeling, Climate Anomalies Impact and Forecasting of Rainfall and Streamflow of the Upper Blue Nile River Basin
| year =	 2012
| publisher = [[University of Alberta]]
|hdl = 10402/era.28151| location = [[Canada]]
| doi =	 10.7939/R3377641M
| last1 =	 Elsanabary
| first1 =	 Mohamed Helmy Mahmoud Moustafa
}}</ref> Though shorter than the White Nile, 59% of the water that reaches Egypt originates from the Ethiopian highlands via the Blue Nile.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} The river is also an important resource for Sudan, where the [[Roseires Dam]] and [[Sennar Dam]] contribute to the 80% of the country's electricity generation from [[hydropower]]. These dams also help irrigate the [[Gezira Scheme]], which is most famous for its high-quality [[cotton]], as well as [[wheat]] and animal feed crop production in the area.

In November 2012, Ethiopia began construction of the [[Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam]], a 6000-megawatt hydroelectric dam on the river. The dam is expected to be a boost for the Ethiopian economy. Sudan and Egypt, however, voiced their concerns over a potential reduction in water available.<ref>{{Citation
 |url               = http://www.trust.org/item/?map=nile-dam-project-a-hydropower-hope-but-regional-sore-point
 |title             = Ethiopia: Nile Dam Project a Hydropower Hope, but Regional Sore Point
 |year              = 2012
 |publisher         = [[Thomson Reuters Foundation]]
 |location = [[Africa]]
 |access-date        = 9 July 2015
 |url-status           = live
 |archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20150714191513/http://www.trust.org/item/?map=nile-dam-project-a-hydropower-hope-but-regional-sore-point
 |archive-date       = 14 July 2015
}}</ref> Electricity generation began in February 2022.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60451702|title = Ethiopia starts generating power from River Nile dam|work = BBC News|date = 20 February 2022}}</ref>