Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati in his word in the Urban water security for sustainable development session in the Arab Sustainable Development Week ASDW in Cairo (Photo : Egyptian Ministry of irrigation)
The minister said that Egypt needs about 114 billion cubic meters of water annually, while its available water resources do not exceed 60 billion cubic meters, a deficit of up to 54 billion cubic meters.
This gap is filled by water recycling at about 34 billion cubic meters annually, the minister said.
Abdel-Ati pointed out that 40 million people in Egypt depend on agriculture as a main source of income, but the per capita share of green spaces in Egypt is less than 40 square meters.
Nevertheless, the Ministry of Irrigation has prepared a plan to manage water in Egypt till the year 2037 with investments of more than $50 billion, which are expected to increase to $100 billion.
Egypt, which depends on the River Nile for 97 percent of its water needs, is concerned that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) may reduce the country’s water share of Nile water, a concern Ethiopia has repeatedly dismissed.
Egypt and Sudan haven been demanding Ethiopia sign a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation policies for the GERD’s reservoir, which Ethiopia has refused.
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