The seminar brought together government officials, lawmakers, and business leaders to discuss one of the nation’s most pressing issues: water security.
Opening the seminar, Chairman of CEBC Engineer Moataz Raslan described water as “an existential issue and a cornerstone of development, as well as the foundation of a people’s present and future.”
Citing international studies, he noted that nearly four billion people worldwide face water scarcity for at least one month annually, a challenge exacerbated by climate change and population growth.
He warned that while Egypt’s annual Nile water quota has remained at 55.5 billion cubic metres for decades, the population has surged by 25 million over the past decade. This left Egyptians with only 500 cubic metres of water per person per year, a level classified as “absolute water scarcity.”
Raslan singled out the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as the most prominent challenge confronting Egypt’s water future.
During his speech, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Dr. Hani Sewilam presented the ministry’s comprehensive water strategy, titled “Turning Challenges into Investment Opportunities.”
Sewilam, an internationally recognized water expert and former UNESCO chair in Hydrological Changes, has focused since his 2022 appointment on modernizing irrigation, expanding desalination projects, and boosting international cooperation on shared water resources.
He explained that the ministry’s strategy includes expanding agricultural wastewater reuse through flagship projects such as New Delta, Bahr Al-Baqar, and Al-Mahsama; scaling up desalination as a vital tool for food and water security; and deploying advanced technologies for rainfall forecasting, groundwater monitoring, and smart irrigation.
The minister also highlighted Egypt’s digital transformation initiatives, which include 27 new digital applications to help farmers manage water resources and infrastructure upgrades such as the rehabilitation of canals, modernization of the High Dam monitoring system, and construction of new barrages.
He emphasized ongoing efforts to mitigate climate change risks by protecting coastlines and flood-prone areas, while promoting solar-powered water systems.
Governance reforms, Sewilam added, are central to the strategy, with stronger legislation, grassroots water-user associations, and campaigns to protect the Nile from encroachment.
He stressed the importance of awareness programmes such as the “Ala El Qad” initiative and international platforms like Cairo Water Week and the AWARe initiative to elevate water on the global development agenda.
From the legislative side, Chairman of the Senate’s Agriculture and Irrigation Committee Senator Abdel Salam El-Gabaly underscored Egypt’s political leadership in tackling the crisis.
He pointed to government-backed irrigation reforms, wastewater treatment expansion, and plans to increase agricultural wastewater reuse from 21 to 26 billion cubic metres annually. He also stressed the importance of aligning executive action with parliamentary support to build resilient policies.
Participants concluded that addressing Egypt’s water challenges will require not just government action but also greater participation from the private sector. Speakers also urged the private sector to support innovation, investment, and implementation of the national strategy.
The CEBC promotes trade and investment between Egypt and Canada, while the Egyptian ECIC supports Egypt’s international economic relations. Both organizations play a pivotal role in facilitating dialogue on major economic and development challenges.
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