Egypt will need almost 50 per cent more Nile water by 2050: Experts

A future Egyptian population of 150 million will need a greater share of Africa's longest river to meet their needs, claim planning experts

Ahram Online, Monday 7 May 2012,

Egypt may need to tap the Nile for extra supplies, say experts (Photo: Reuters)

Egypt will need nearly 50 per cent more Nile water by 2050 to cater for an estimated population of 150 million people, according to experts at Egypt's National Planning Institute.

Speaking to the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, the institute's director said Egypt will require an extra 21 billion cubic metres (bcm) of water per year from Africa's longest river to meet the needs of industry, agriculture and households in 40 years' time.

Egypt is currently entitled to 55 bcm of the Nile's total annual flow of around 84 bmc under a treaty with the eight other countries which share the river basin.

Fadya Abdel-Salam, director of the NPI, said that if Egypt's current share of the Nile remains the same, by 2050 each Egyptian will have a Nile "stake" of 400 cubic metres in the river's waters -- well below the global water poverty index of 1,000 cubic metres.

Should the Nile's total flow remain constant, Egypt will eventually need some 92 per cent of the 6,695 kilometre-long river's waters, according to NPI's estimate.

Official statistics last week showed that Egypt's population is 82 million, with eight million other citizens living abroad.

NPI's research estimates that Egypt's industrial and agricultural needs will rise by 2050 to 10.5 bcm and 10.4 bcm, respectively.

According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, Egypt's water resources are limited to the Nile River, deep ground water in the Delta, the Western Deserts and Sinai, sporadic rainfall and flash floods.

Agriculture accounts for 85 per cent of water demand, while domestic and industrial use makes up 8 and 6 per cent respectively. The remaining one per cent is used in navigation and hydropower.

In March 2011, Ethiopia said it planned to build a dam on the Nile despite a long-running row with Egypt over use of the river.

Egypt is a member in the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), a partnership among Nile states aimed at sharing the river's socio-economic benefits and promoting regional security.

Nine countries are involved in the initiative: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo

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Mengistu wrote:

09-06-2013 02:10pm

Enough

Ethiopia has never harmed to other countries' people ever. If the GERD had negative impacts on the people of downstream countries, we should have been stopped its building. We will do it in the future also. But, the approach of Egyptians is some what timed out. They are always heard to underestimate Ethiopia and Ethiopians. Ethiopia is now fast growing country. It will pass all its problems and become prominent country in the world. That means, everything changes through time. We will be more dominant, let alone Egypt, other developed countries. At that time, we will never harm Egyptians backing our force. The river is enough for all

fetsum wrote:

04-07-2012 08:20pm

@ Omar Ayoub

i wish blocking Nile was that easy. but unfortunately it takes more than 20 mega dams to stop it from reaching egypt. you should thank Jesus for that. i thank him for the past year (the coup in Egypt, which some call revolution), you are deep in turmoil to do shit and we will call you for the Inauguration of the dam. Thank God for Meles Zenawi.

tazabiw wrote:

12-05-2012 09:30am

Really?

Ethiopia is the ' source' of the Nile and is determined to utilize the waters of the Nile. Ethiopia contributes 85% of the waters of the Nile and will have to be compensated if Egypt wants to keep on utilizing the precious water, let alone augmenting its illegal quota.

tagesse wrote:

08-05-2012 05:30am

INiLe belongs to Ethiopia

Egyptian still try to threathen us not to use our own resources -the nile.It is not ur time. U are crumbling like banylonite stone walls.You are repayed by God the bad thing you have done on Ethiopia.Egyptian conspired with other Arab countried in the disintegration of Eritrea its motherland. You devoid us not to get financial aid and loan from the world to build our country.you have been helping Ogaden Libration Front to cesede Eastern part of Ethiopia. We are growing and becoming powerful to redeem our country.You knoe that David stone is powerful than Golliath machinegun because Ethiopians go against you in the name of God rather than Demon. I think it is better to think of win-win Tagesse from Alexandria,Virginia USA