Delta Barrage

Its purpose was to improve irrigation and navigation along the main Rosetta and Damietta branches of the Nile downstream of the point where they divide north of Cairo, Egypt.

At its first operation however, the structure's foundations were found to be of such poor quality that its main irrigation purpose had to be largely abandoned for safety reasons.

In addition to a great reduction in costs of lifting water to irrigate fields, and labor savings needed to unclog the canals from deposited silt, the cotton crop was doubled, and the costs needed to raise crops in general was cut in half.

Due to technological advances, its foundation was built in steel piling and concrete cement encrusted several meters below the sandy base.

[1][2] American diplomat Edwin de Leon reported that Muhammad Ali's grandson Abbas was willing to sacrifice one of the pyramids in order to complete the poorly financed dam, but this was avoided by the high estimated cost, provided by the engineer.