Great River and Waterway Landscapes of Africa and the Middle East: A Conversation with Kenneth R. Olson.

Abstract

This repository interview examines Kenneth R. Olson's book Great River and Waterway Landscapes of Africa and the Middle East as an interdisciplinary contribution to the study of large river and waterway systems. The conversation focuses on the Nile, Congo, and Jordan river landscapes and on the Suez Canal as interrelated examples of hydrological change, soil and sediment dynamics, engineering intervention, political conflict, environmental degradation, and public-health vulnerability. Particular attention is given to the long-term consequences of dam construction, sediment trapping, invasive species migration, port activity, chemical storage, water pollution, and transboundary governance. The interview emphasizes that great rivers cannot be understood solely as physical waterways or economic infrastructures. They are socio-ecological corridors in which climate variability, land use, navigation, hydropower, agriculture, institutional capacity, and conflict interact over long time scales. The discussion also highlights the need for resilient river-basin management that integrates hydrology, soil science, ecology, public health, environmental history, and political decision-making. The book is presented as a timely contribution to debates on freshwater security, environmental risk, and the governance of large river systems under conditions of accelerating climatic and anthropogenic pressure.