On the Frontlines, Chasing Water
J. Carl Ganter ??
Circle of Blue, Managing Director | Explorers Club Fellow | Vector Center, CEO | World Economic Forum Global Future Council | CSIS Water Security | Leaders on Purpose | Journalist / Photojournalist | Public Speaker
Circle of Blue is the nonprofit newsroom that reports on the global competition between water, food, and energy in the changing climate. Recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Award for impact journalism.?Click to support nonprofit news.
Three Cups of Chai Along the Nile
My Uber driver was up for adventure. I’d dropped a pin on the map in the middle of fields south of Cairo. It’s where ancient Egyptians dug thousands of miles of canals to irrigate their crops and where they grew their wealth and influence.
On my way back from the UN climate summit in Egypt, I was drawn to the fertile floodplains where an entire empire was built on the ebbs and flows of the Nile River.
We entered a mystical haze where the humidity of the river meets the billowing dust of the desert.?We found farmers in their fields harvesting cauliflower, lettuce and root vegetables destined to feed the nearly 22 million people of the Cairo region. This winding green oasis is created by the mighty river that has written stories of feast, famine, and conquest for countless generations.?
When it was time to leave and catch my flight, we heard the ominous clicking of our car’s starter. The battery was dead. Mohamed, the driver, was embarrassed to be marooned somewhere that barely existed on a Google map. And with one of his most unusual Uber customers.
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He left me with the car and went for help.
Soon after, a farmer named Saiyed emerged from the haze, carrying a small basket. In it was bread, sweet onions, spices, and water. His brother, Eid, appeared from a grove of palm trees nearby, carrying fronds and wood for a small fire.
They motioned me over to sit with them for breakfast — breaking bread and drinking chai made with a family recipe passed down over generations. This, I thought, is what water is all about it. It feeds our world and builds connections.
When Mohamed returned in a three-wheeled tuk-tuk, we all gathered around the disabled car and gave it a running push. The engine started.
I was reluctant to leave my new friends behind, but inspired knowing that this is the story playing out every moment around the world, where water’s history meets culture, compassion, and the future.
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Executive Director, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA)
2 年That's a great piece, J. Carl Ganter. I think you had more fun in Egypt than me :)
Professor at Texas A&M University
2 年water is at the heart of SDGs and economic development. it is national security and must be looked at from that lens. How can we build synergy in water management and its dynamic interactions with other systems: energy, food, health among others. Thanks Carl and Blue Circle team for an exceptional coverage of water around the world. Amazing work
Board Chair, Purpose-driven volunteer, Cross-Cultural Team and Trust Builder, Photographic Venturer, and Polyglot Traveller.
2 年#Narratives are an excellent way to help people better understand the value and necessity of water and the centrality of water to life. I would love to hear the story of how agriculture and diets in EgyptCairo have changed and if there are any lessons to be had on sustainability in order keep the Nile magical and a source for life.