Here is a recipe for War!

The Nile River and Egypt have nearly always belonged in the same breath. The classic phrase, "He who has drunk from the Nile must return," is Egyptian — not Ugandan, or Ethiopian, or from any other people touched by the river. Egyptians say that two colonial-era agreements forever guarantee them most of the Nile's flow. But other countries in the Nile River basin want more access to the water.

But there are just as many non-Egyptians in the river basin who say they, too, understand the Nile just fine. They chafe at what they perceive as arrogance on the part of Egypt. Patrick Mmayi is a Nile river expert from Kenya who works at the United Nations Environmental Program in Nairobi.

"Egypt should see (the upriver countries) as equal partners. Eventually, you'll find tensions rising up if the status quo remains. No amount of threats will actually stop the upper catchment areas from using these waters, if they want to." Egyptians actively guard their stake in Nile, monitoring the river as closely as they watch over their peach groves, date palms, vineyards and banana trees. Engineers fan over thousands of miles in the basin and make daily readings of the river's many tributaries.