Scratch

The need to irrigate led to them building canals, and the development of the Shaduf, which employs the principles of leverage to make it easier to lift large amounts of water from the river level up to the planting level.

Of course, the Nile was less of a problem than a blessing - without it, there wouldn't be any Egyptian civilisation at all.  Egypt is a large country, but all of the settlements are in teh narrow band of fertile soil alongside the Nile.  When the Nile floods it deposits fertile silt on the floodplains, and this, plus the proximity of the river, makes it possible to grow crops in what is otherwise a barren desert.

DUDE.

I had to do this exact question last year. If you still need an answer, I can grab my old Society and Environment file from under my bed.