One aspect of Egypt Vision 2030 concerns securing, developing, and sustaining fresh and saline water resources. Under a national strategy titled “Every Drop of Water Equals Life”, plans have been designed to maximise the benefits of the vast coastlines of the Mediterranean and Red seas as well as the northern lakes.
“Egypt is among the most water-scarce countries in the world and the issue of water has become a matter of national security,” said Sherif Mohamedi, head of the National Water Research Centre (NWRC) at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. “Water is directly linked to economic development, food security, social stability, and the ability to confront future challenges. “Egypt relies on the River Nile for more than 97 per cent of its water supply,” Mohamedi went on. “Meanwhile, the annual domestic per capita share of water has fallen to roughly half the internationally recognised water-poverty threshold due to rapid population growth and mounting pressure on available resources.” In the last few decades, Egypt has managed to build one of the region’s most efficient water-management systems despite pertinent challenges, he explained. This was achieved through the reuse of water, the expansion of treatment projects, the modernisation of irrigation and drainage networks, and the optimisation of every water source.
Those efforts are all the more crucial in the light of climate change and its repercussions, not only rising temperatures but also higher evaporation rates and shifting rainfall patterns. Water resources, Mohamedi said, have to be managed using a precise and flexible scientific approach that can respond to rapid developments in the Upper Nile Basin. The use of water must be assessed in terms of its economic, social, and environmental returns and its long-term sustainability, he stressed. Any agricultural, urban, or industrial expansion must be based on rigorous studies of available resources, water quality, efficiency of use, and economic and environmental feasibility.
At this point, Egypt is embracing the concept of the “second generation of the Egyptian irrigation system”, which Mohamedi described as a “qualitative leap in water-resource management”. This approach relies on smart and integrated water management through modern technologies, digitalisation, decision-support systems, artificial intelligence, future forecasting, and the more efficient and sustainable operation of water facilities. This strategy is based on improving water-use efficiency in agriculture, transitioning to more advanced irrigation systems, introducing smart management of irrigation and drainage networks, expanding the safe reuse of water, protecting groundwater resources, enhancing the management of dams and hydraulic structures, and employing modern technologies for monitoring, operation and maintenance. The approach also seeks to provide decision-makers with accurate data and advanced predictive models capable of addressing a wide range of future scenarios.
Non-conventional water resources have also become a key component of Egypt’s water strategy. Foremost among these is low-cost desalination, particularly when integrated with the treatment of agricultural drainage water or the use of saline and brackish groundwater for agricultural purposes. According to Mohamedi, the challenge is not producing additional water, but producing water that is suitable for its intended purpose at an economically viable cost and in a manner consistent with soil characteristics, crop requirements, irrigation systems and the safe management of salinity.
Stressing scientific research, Mohamadi noted that the quantitative and qualitative composition of fish species in Egyptian lakes has remained stable in recent years. Factors that must be taken into consideration in this regard include the decline in incoming silt loads, which gradually increases the kinetic energy of water flows. This, in turn, implies continuing with the engineering strategy Egypt has adopted. Mohamedi pointed out that protecting water structures, barrages, and riverbanks from scouring remains a priority. The long-term reduction in the flow of silt and nutrient-rich sediments needs continued environmental monitoring programmes and greater reliance on modern agricultural practices and safe fertilisers to adapt to these changes.
Meanwhile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is located in a region characterised by high temperatures, resulting in evaporation losses estimated at between 1.5 and 3 billion cubic metres annually. There is therefore an urgent need for an ongoing coordination mechanism to monitor water levels, flow rates and the water released from Egypt’s High Dam, Ethiopia’s GERD, and Sudan’s network of dams. This type of coordination would safeguard shared River Nile water against random use and ensure efficienct management of all three countries’ water reserves. Mohamedi also stressed the importance of expanding regular environmental monitoring programmes for Lake Nasser waters in order to ensure the early detection of any signs of environmental degradation or changes in water quality.
“It’s important to rely on advanced mathematical and hydrological models to predict water quality and lake behaviour during prolonged droughts,” Mohamedi added, “rather than only under normal circumstances. These models would strengthen the efficiency of water-resource management and support informed decision-making. We need to draw on specialised studies of sediment and silt movement in the southern section of the lake, in Sudan. Understanding their dynamics is essential for assessing the long-term impact of the GERD on monitoring the formation and evolution of the new delta in the southern part of the lake, measuring changes in its live and dead storage capacity and preserving the safety of river navigation in this vital region.”
That is because Egypt remains committed to securing a comprehensive, fair, and legally binding agreement for all parties that regulates the long-term operation of the GERD and establishes clear hydrological rules for managing any future refilling processes necessitated by severe or prolonged drought. Such a legal framework would provide the legitimate means to transform these engineering measures into permanent and sustainable operating protocols. It would also convert data-sharing from a voluntary practice to a binding international commitment, safeguarding the water security of all Nile Basin countries, and preventing future unilateral actions.
No less valuable as a water asset are Egypt’s northern lakes. According to the Freshwater and Lakes Division of the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF), operating under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, continued support for environmental monitoring programmes and the implementation of science-based recommendations are crucial for protecting these vital ecosystems. Egypt’s northern lakes have suffered degradation. Protecting them will help to transform their areas into sustainable ecosystems capable of supporting the national economy and providing stable livelihoods for the fishing community. The adoption of modern technologies in this field, Mohamedi stressed, can improve the production of food and energy more efficiently. Such an approach contributes to maintaining competitive production costs, reducing resource losses, and limiting environmental degradation.
According to Amr Salah Al-Shami, assistant professor of freshwater chemistry at the NIOF’s Freshwater and Lakes Division, the government’s project to rehabilitate and develop the northern lakes is crucial. Its first phase involved the use of dredging equipment to deepen the lakes, restore their original levels, remove accumulated sediments, enhance fish productivity and reduce pollution levels. The northern lakes along Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline extend through Mariout, Edku, Borollos, Manzala and Bardawil, from west to east. The lakes rank among the world’s most fertile aquatic ecosystems and are a primary source of income for thousands of fishermen. They also play a pivotal role in strengthening local food security thanks to their unique characteristics, including rich biodiversity and ideal breeding habitats for numerous economically important fish species, crustaceans, and migratory birds.
However, Al-Shami noted, the northern lakes have long been subjected to complex environmental and human pressures. One challenge is the pollution caused by the discharge of agricultural, industrial, and domestic wastewater, which has adversely affected water quality. The lakes have also suffered from overfishing and the removal of aquatic vegetation, including reeds and other marsh plants, disrupting ecological balance and decreasing fish stocks. In addition, lake depths have been altered over time as a result of sedimentation and, in some cases, inappropriate dredging, affecting the ecological stability of these vital water bodies. Developing the areas of the northern lakes is necessary to transform them into sustainable production zones, and cooperation between the relevant authorities and the Freshwater and Lakes Division would help achieve the desired balance.
The measures through which this would happen include continuous environmental monitoring programmes to track the physical, chemical, and biological variables affecting lake waters, analysing water quality, salinity levels and temperatures, and monitoring pollution levels while assessing the impact of contaminants on the food chain. Other measures include developing scientific plans to maximise fish production in line with environmental standards, studying the biological composition of fish populations and identifying breeding seasons to prevent overfishing, and removing aquatic obstacles and excessive vegetation without disrupting habitats. It is also important, Al-Shami said, to establish specialised units for the production of highly nutritious live feed for fish fry, expand environmentally friendly aquaculture technologies, and strengthen strategic partnerships with research institutions and specialised centres to provide scientific studies and expert consultations that support decision-makers. Such measures would collectively maximise the economic and social returns generated by the northern lakes.
Noting that scientific evaluation of available solutions and alternatives before implementing major development projects is crucial, Mohamedi said that the NWRC supports the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and other state institutions through applied research, predictive modelling, and practical scientific and technological solutions. Egypt’s future water security depends on the advanced and integrated management of all available water resources, with the ultimate goal of maximising the value of every water source. Meanwhile, the transformations taking place across the Nile Basin, particularly following the gradual operation of the GERD, have redoubled the importance of the High Dam and Lake Nasser as Egypt’s principal safeguards against drought cycles, floods, and fluctuations in water flows.
This new reality demands a careful assessment of the GERD’s hydrological and environmental impact on Lake Nasser and the River Nile, said Mohamed Al-Sherif, professor of chemistry at the Freshwater and Lakes Division of the NIOF. He referred to positive consequences, such as the retention of large quantities of sediment and silt upstream, which has reduced siltation rates in Lake Nasser, thereby extending the operational lifespan of the High Dam. In addition, the flow of the Blue Nile has become more regulated compared to previous seasonal flood cycle, facilitating more efficient water management and the operation of hydroelectric power stations. Al-Sherif said that water levels in Lake Nasser were not affected during the various stages of filling water behind the GERD, while recent years have also seen the replenishment of water levels in the Toshka Lakes.
The physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of Lake Nasser have remained within normal ranges in recent years, and the lake’s ecosystem has not experienced adverse effects during periods of water storage behind the GERD. The Freshwater and Lakes Division, Al-Sherif said, studies the impact of pollutants on aquatic food chains, proposing biological solutions for water treatment, and developing digital databases to support policymakers in designing strategies for the management and development of lakes. The division also promotes national and international cooperation and contributes to the formulation of national plans for the conservation of nature reserves and wetlands.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 June, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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