Minister Hani Sewilam in his meeting with the members of the parliament’s agriculture and irrigation committee on Tuesday. Photo : Ministry of Irrigation and Water Sources
Speaking before the parliament’s agriculture and irrigation committee, Sewilam outlined mounting pressure on Egypt’s water system, noting that total annual water demand has reached 88.55 billion cubic metres, while renewable water resources stand at just 65.35 billion cubic metres.
To bridge this deficit, Egypt currently reuses an estimated 23.2 billion cubic metres of water annually, highlighting the scale of reliance on non-conventional water sources.
The minister said population growth remains a key driver of the crisis despite a decline in net annual increase from 1.95 million people in 2011 to 1.28 million in 2024.
Egypt’s per capita water share has sharply declined from 2,000 cubic metres per year in 1962 to below the international water poverty threshold of 1,000 cubic metres in the 1990s, reaching current levels of about 500 cubic metres.
The figures place Egypt among the most water-stressed countries globally, with demand continuing to rise alongside agricultural and food security needs.
Sewilam added that the government is expanding large-scale water treatment and reuse projects to increase supply, including major facilities such as Bahr El-Baqar, El-Mahsama, and the New Delta, with a combined treatment capacity of 4.8 billion cubic metres annually.
Egypt’s agricultural drainage network, extending over 22,000 kilometres, plays a central role in water recycling efforts, the minister noted.
He also pointed to ongoing investments in maintaining waterways, with an annual budget of around EGP 1.14 billion allocated for clearing canals and drains.
These efforts include removing 1.7 million cubic metres of waste from canals and 2.6 million cubic metres from drains each year.
The government is increasingly turning to technology-driven solutions to optimize water use, including satellite monitoring, predictive modelling, and smart irrigation systems, as part of its broader “Water 2.0” strategy.
Egypt relies heavily on the Nile for its water supply and faces growing challenges linked to climate change, upstream developments, and rising domestic demand, making efficient water management a national priority.
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