WORK has started on a $10m project to clear earth blocking the flow of the River Nile, using machinery supplied by the Egyptian government. Workers started removing the mass of earth blocking the middle of the river’s main stream, said an Egyptian irrigation mission official. The Nile is the main source of water for agriculture in Egypt and Sudan, which shares its waters with Uganda. The blockage has also threatened the livelihood of thousands of people in Uganda, which suffered flooding whenever the blocked river found new channels through people’s plantations and settlements. Fishermen living along the river also had their business disrupted. – AFP