And the ambitions of British policy 127 The summer, as shown in Table 3, and the necessary works for this purpose will now be discussed: Necessary works to meet the water needs Now that we know the demands of each decade of the years and the amount of water that could be obtained in the years when the Nile's recession was at its worst, it is possible to draw up a program of works necessary to regulate the river so that sufficient water for irrigation can be provided at all times. However, during the discussion of balancing works on the river, while reconciling the summer yield, the utmost necessity of saving the Egyptian country from the dangers of high floods must not be forgotten. Since Egypt had no means of protection other than embankments, it had no choice but to rely on them. However, these embankments have often failed in the past, and despite the great efforts made to strengthen them in recent years, they are not safe. If the burden of high floods can be alleviated by balancing, this would be more reassuring. If one work were sufficient to meet all these needs, it would naturally have to be undertaken immediately. Unfortunately, such a simple solution is not available. On the other hand, there are works that must be constructed in due course to ensure proper river regulation. After careful consideration of many projects and various aspects regarding the order of commencement dates, if chosen, the following works are proposed in order of their listing: 1. A reservoir on the White Nile and a dam at Gebel Aulia to increase Egypt's summer yield and to serve as an effective means of warding off the dangers of high floods. 2. A small reservoir on the Blue Nile with a dam at Sennar for irrigating the Gezira plain. 3. Barrages at Nag Hammadi to protect the Nile crops in that part of Upper Egypt that has not yet been converted to summer irrigation and to supply it with summer water.