Uneven water distribution, misuse of water resources and inefficient irrigation techniques are some of the major factors playing havoc with water security in the country. Historically, egypt and sudan determined nile water allocations. Water scarcity average per capita fresh water availability in egypt is on a steady decline from about 1,893 cubic meters per year in 1959 to about. Egypts sisi vows to prevent water crisis from happening. In this paper, we describe how global warming is affecting water and energy resources, and the challenges and opportunities this presents globally. To address the problems associated with gerd and avert a crisis, egypt has begun to pursue domestic and regional strategies on the ground.
The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual egyptian police holiday as a statement against increasing police brutality during the last. With so many people relying on the nile for drinking, agricultural, and municipal use, the quality of that water should be of most importance. Egypt and tunisia experienced abovenormal food price inflation. The differences over ethiopias great renaissance dam gerd that started in 2011, has sometimes bubbled and in other times erupted to the surface. Confronting the global water crisis through research emergence of china from 20032010, the number of articles published by china grew from with an average annual growth rate of 28%. Even then, just less than 1% of the freshwater is easily accessible in lakes and rivers. The united nations predicts that egypt could be water scarce by 2025. Egypt, sudan, eritrea, ethiopia, uganda, the democratic republic of congo, rwanda. Water in the middle east and north africa fanack water. The estimated numbers of impacted host communities in egypt are almost 1. Assuming continued population growth and taking into account the land reclamation projects in the desert and the fact that more than 50% of the cereals consumed are already imported, egypt cannot meet its food demand by relying on nile water for irrigation. In the 1990s, a series of international monetary fund arrangements, coupled with massive external debt relief resulting from egypts participation in the gulf war coalition, helped egypt improve its macroeconomic performance since 2000, the.
I watched as young activists marched to tahrir, or liberation. The challenges facing the water sector in egypt are enormous and require the mobilization of all resources and the management of these resources in an integrated manner. The egyptian government has been seeking to expand. Given this nexus, we see it is absolutely integral to egypt s water and food security to recognise that a dramatic water crisis may be in store, and to initiate the adequate measures now. The effects of the environmental pollution in egypt. Egypt, once celebrated as the gift of the nile, is in the grips of a serious water crisis. Finding a solution for egypts water crisis daily news egypt. It is a crisis of managing water so badly that billions of people and the environment suffer badly. Towards assessment of saudi arabia public awareness of. As egypt faces its worst water crisis in 100 years, farmers are stuck between their need to cultivate cashgenerating crops that require a lot of water and the egyptian states ban on waterthirsty crops. Apr 26, 2016 egypt has relied on the nile, africas largest river, since the time of the pharaohs. With the help of the european external action service, the country has completed a national water resources plan that focuses on water management over the next two decades. Population growth is a massive contributor to the water crisis in egypt. But the crisis is not about having too little water to satisfy our needs.
The agreement specifies that egypts share of the nile water is 55. Pdf mitigating impacts of water shortage on egyptian agriculture. Egypt suffers from a water deficit of 30 billion cubic meters. Egypt has only 20 cubic meters per person of internal renewable freshwater resources, and as. The researchers believed that the country presently needs much more fresh water than can be provided by the main nile. This type of scarcity leads to an annual state of emergency, where many towns do not have any access to water. An american taking a fiveminute shower uses more water than the typical person living in a developing country slum uses in. Changes in the way water resources are currently allocated and managed are inevitable. The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.
A multiyear study of egypts nile delta places the countrys major breadbasket at serious risk. The looming water crisis in egypt and beyond youtube. Egypt plans to face water scarcity, allots le 900b egypt. Looming crisis of the much decreased freshwater supply to. According to the government, egypt s population is predicted to reach 98. The town of ezbit altaweed also suffered from the water crisis.
Egypt is struggling to cope with water shortages and food production. The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through. In egypts poor areas people travel a really long distance to just get clean water and when they get there they maybe shortage of water so they will start fighting over the clean water. The authors 2015 understanding the water crisis reprints. Twoandahalf years ago, i came to egypt and witnessed what we thought was a revolution. Water consumption pollution uneven water distribution. For the love of physics walter lewin may 16, 2011 duration. The river provides 90% of its water needs and the nile river basin is home to half of the countrys 101 million people. Egypt has been highly dependent on the nile river since ancient times. The current actual available water resources in egypt are 55. Scientists in egypt can 3 tackle water shortage crisis. Water equity requires that each person shares access and entitlements to water, and benefits from water use.
Egypt controls majority of the water resource extracted from the nile river due to colonialera treaty, which guaranteed egypt 90 percent share of the nile, and prevented their neighbors from extracting even a single drop from the nile without permission. Yes, there is a solution to egypts water crisis with. Resources, pollution and protection endeavors article pdf available in central european journal of medicine 81. Senior egyptian politicians were caught on live television plotting the use of military. Water shortages bring suffering to egypts countryside.
Egypt is beating the war drums against ethiopia over its plan to build a giant dam on the nile, affecting a quarter of egypts water supply. The focus of this paper will be on the agriculture and water sectors in egypt. Egypt has large potentials for groundwater estimated to be 7. The iranian water crisis sinead lehane research analyst global food and water crises research programme key points summary in 20 faced with a critical shortage of water, the iranian government called for water conservation and greater water use efficiency nationwide. During the same period, the number of publications of articles from usa institutions on water resources research had an annual increase of 11%. In june 2015, the water crisis in egypt led to the city of bilquas and its 50,000 inhabitants being without water for an entire week. Best 26 crisis intervention service in new egypt, nj with. Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the. Egypt has been suffering from severe water scarcity in recent years. Minister of water resources and irrigation mohamed abdel aaty said that egypt is facing an acute water shortage crisis, regardless of the grand ethiopian renaissance dams gerd construction. Cairo, jan 8 xinhua egyptian president abdelfattah alsisi said monday that he would not allow the state to be hit by a water shortage crisis, official ahram online reported. Egypt is beating the war drums against ethiopia over its plan to build a giant dam on the nile, affecting a quarter of egypt s water supply. Aug 24, 2018 cairo egypts water resources and irrigation minister mohamed mohamed abdel aty announced in a july 24 press release that an agreement had been reached with the european union eu to finance an irrigationdevelopment project and improve the countrys watermanagement system. Egypt integrated water resources management plan english abstract.
Egypt is suffering its worst economic crisis since the great depression, a former finance minister of the country and one of its leading economists have warned in terms of its devastating effect. When it did, it was often downplayed by occasional diplomatic niceties or escalated through media forays. Countries like ethiopia, which suffered persistent famine for years while watching egypt squander this precious resource are not going to back down. Uneven water distribution, misuse of water resources and inefficient.
We woke up in a desert the water crisis taking hold. Jun 11, 20 the longrunning dispute between ethiopia and egypt over the waters of the nile is coming to a head. Fanack water aims to raise awareness by providing wideranging, objective and uptodate coverage of water and its management in the region. Sep 30, 2018 egypt is struggling to cope with water shortages and food production.
Between 1990 and 2018, egypts hdi value increased 28. With a rising population and a fixed supply, the country has less water per person each year. Mirette mabrouk, director of meis egypt program, joins. Water scarcity is a global concern that disproportionately affects the middle east. The egyptian revolution of 2011, also known as the january 25 revolution arabic. Nile water is the mail water resources for egypt country. Pdf water is one of the most important inputs for economic development and sustainable development. Jan 15, 2018 nile water crisis places sudan, egypt and ethiopia on the brink of war january 15, 2018 at 6. The degeneration of the nile is an issue that is regularly underestimated in egypt. Egypts water crisis and degeneration of nile ecomena. Several facts that have hit egypt with water crisis first of all egypt maintain legal and political position on nile water crisis.
This is a response to several factors leading to increasing land lowering subsidence of the northern delta and. Ahmed abdrabo used to get all the water he needed to feed his crops 50 km 30 miles from egypts river nile. In egypt, people have different kinds of water for agriculture, such as nile water, groundwater, precipitation and agricultural wastewater. About 98% of egypts fresh water resources originate outside of its borders, such as the nile river and groundwater aquifers. By the time egypts and ethiopias ministers of irrigation visited khartoum to agree on a technical committee for the dams construction it was clear to. Developments in sudan, ethiopia and other riparian countries could impact water availability to egypt. Egypt now releases less than 10 percent of its water supply, a mostly saline and highly polluted aqueous mix, to the sea, with little sediment available for coastal replenishment, it said.
Egypt in crisis watch s20 e1 frontline pbs official. In the meantime there is real world solution to the water crisis in egypt. From an ample 2,526 cubic meters per person per year in 1947, egypts annual water supply per person dropped to 663 cubic meters in 20, according to. Sisi made the comments as he announced the construction of egypts biggest water treatment and desalination project, at a cost of almost 70 billion pounds 3.
The embattled egyptian president alsisi has resuscitated the nile water crisis with ethiopia. Located in the middleeast and rejected by its neighbors, it harbored legitimate and serious grievances against egypt. For thousands of years, annual floods dumped rich silt on the banks, allowing the country to serve as a. Sallam told daily news egypt that the egyptian groundwater stock is fresh and has few level of salinity, thus allows meeting the future demand of domestic water, it is also cheaper than seawater desalination.
Looming crisis of the much decreased freshwater supply to egypts nile delta date. Pdf the impacts of water shortages on egypts agriculture continues to receive widespread attention. As we continue to pollute our water supplies and disrupt the river systems in order to generate hydro electricity we will see an ever increasing water problem around the globe. Jul 22, 2017 egypt needs to focus on coming up with a variety of schemes including pursuing a constructive dialoguenot a threat with upstream countries to avert the looming water crisis in egypt. Increased land subsidence and sealevel rise are submerging egypts nile delta coastal margin abstract egypts nile delta, only 1 m above mean sea level at the mediterranean coast, is subject to uneven rates of submergence. Increased land subsidence and sealevel rise are submerging. Egypt and climatic changes the unity of climatic change the ministry of state for environmental affairs arab republic of egypt 2011. Introduction virtually every business decision is also a decision about the use of natural resources. In in fact, the nile river has been the source of political tens ion among three. Nature of freshwater supply in any given year, most of egypt is likely to see between 0 and 80 millimeters of rain. However, population growth, weaker flows because of climate change and general mismanagement means that egypt faces an annual water deficit of more. Egypt, usaid representative discuss cooperation in establishing stem schools cabinet.
With the current state of affairs, correcting measures still can be taken to avoid the crisis to be worsening. Since the 1990s, the population has grown by 41 percent. Egyptian scientists abroad are invited to simplify and reach solutions for crisis of water shortage the country faces, said minister of immigration nabila makram on sunday. During the egypt canwith the sons of the nile conference held on sunday in luxor and attended by 23 egyptian international scientists, abdel atti remarked that the country allocates le 70 billion out of le 900 billion in investments for the crisis of water shortage. Latest updates on egypts political crisis the lede. Only 20 cubic meters of water per person of internal renewable freshwater resources remain. Another problem that egypt might be facing soon is the share of water between egypt and the nile basin states.
In 2015, annual per capita consumption of renewed fresh water was 650 m 3, which is significantly below the 1,000 m 3 water scarcity threshold. According to one source, egypt has reached the millennium development goal of halving the number of people without proper access to safe water and sanitation by 2015 ahead of time in 2008. The other biggest factor in the water issue is the global population explosion. Towards assessment of saudi arabia public awareness of water shortage problem omar k m ouda department of civil engineering, prince mohamed bin fahd university, al khobar, kingdom of saudi arabia abstract kingdom of saudi arabia ksa is located in a very harsh natural desert environment with no rivers or lakes. Water scarcity and irrigation efficiency in egypt emanuele ferrari, scott mcdonald, rehab osman1 work in progress please do not quote without prior agreement with the authors disclaimer. At any given time, half of the worlds hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a waterrelated disease. However, according to the government report of the same year, egypt was still off track to achieve the sanitation target in rural areas, especially in upper egypt and in frontier governorates. The western powers met again in london on september 19 the 1956 suez crisis 9. Water crisis water is life water is an essential part of our everyday life. Abdel aaty said in an interview on private tv channel alhayat that the crisis is mainly triggered by the decreasing individual share of water stemming.
So, if the nile region is at low risk for water stress, then why is there a frantic discussion about a water crisis in these countries. Unmanaged waterrelated risks such as floods and droughts can. Table 2 shows groundwater usage and land irrigated by groundwater in aresh north sinai. Egypt, sudan reject ethiopian offer for transitional agreement on megadam to allow initial filling in summer. An emerging water crisis is emerging between the 10 nile basin countries depends on the 6741kilometre stretch nile river. Egypt has relied on the nile, africas largest river, since the time of the pharaohs. Nile water crisis places sudan, egypt and ethiopia on the. The iranian water crisis future directions international. Senior egyptian politicians were caught on live television. With a rising population and a fixed supply of water, the country has less water per capita each year.
While the crises in syria and yemen continue to demand the attention of middle east and world leaders, a series of events in the nile river valley bear witness to another important issue that threatens the stability of the river basin and the horn of africa. Given this nexus, we see it is absolutely integral to egypts water and food security to recognise that a dramatic water crisis may be in store, and to initiate the adequate measures now. The world bank says egypt is among the countries most vulnerable to climate changes effects. Egypts water crisis recipe for disaster by amir dakkak july 22, 2017 environment, middle east, pollution, water egypt has been suffering from severe water scarcity in recent years. The economy of egypt was a highly centralized economy focused on import substitution under president gamal abdel nasser. An egyptian ngo that uses a communitybased model to improve access to clean water and sanitation won a world habitat award monday during the united nationssponsored world habitat day through its local housing movement program, the better life association for comprehensive development blacd has provided new inhouse connections to running. Though nearly 70% of the world is covered by water, only about 2. Egypt has only 20 cubic meters per person of internal renewable freshwater resources, and as a result the country relies heavily on. In the winter, the sea attacks us, a fisherman says. Drinking water supply and sanitation in egypt is characterized by both achievements and. Between 1990 and 2018, egypts life expectancy at birth increased 7.
Aug 04, 2015 egypt, once celebrated as the gift of the nile, is in the grips of a serious water crisis. Causes alternatives remedies mohammed mossallem foreign aid and trade program officer at the economic and social justice unit may 20 the egyptian initiative for personal rights eipr is an independent rights organization. Water management in egypt for facing the future challenges. Confronting the global water crisis through research. The amount of emissions in egypt million tons equivalent of carbon dioxide years 1990\1999 107 0. Egypt looks to avert water crisis driven by demand, waste. How egypt plans to address its growing water crisis.