The campaign comes under Ministerial Circular No. 1 of 2026, which directs ministry engineers to intensify field inspections, file legal reports against violators, and take immediate measures against practices that pollute waterways, obstruct water flow, or threaten public health, the ministry said in a statement.
Sewilam also instructed ministry bodies to step up cleaning and maintenance works on canals and drains across the country, including the removal of weeds, garbage, and other waste, to ensure that irrigation water reaches farmers in the required quantities and at scheduled times.
The minister said preserving clean canals and waterways is a core part of efficient water management and distribution, adding that waste dumping increases maintenance burdens, disrupts water flow, and undermines public health and the environment.
Under Water Resources and Irrigation Law No. 147 of 2021, obstructing water flow is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year and a fine ranging from EGP 10,000 to EGP 50,000, or either penalty.
The law also imposes tougher penalties for filling waterways with silt, soil, rubble, or other waste. Such violations are punishable by imprisonment for no less than six months and a fine ranging from EGP 100,000 to EGP 500,000, or either penalty.
Penalties are doubled in repeat offences, according to the ministry statement.
Under Law No. 48 of 1982 on protecting the Nile River and waterways from pollution, dumping or discharging polluting waste into waterways is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year and a fine ranging from EGP 50,000 to EGP 200,000, or either penalty.
The offender is also required to remove the effects of pollution and restore the affected site at their own expense. Where violations fall under more than one law, the court applies the harsher penalty according to the circumstances of the case.
Sewilam said the ministry spends more than EGP 1 billion annually on cleaning and maintaining canals and waterways, funds that could otherwise be directed to improving services or implementing new projects.
He stressed that the ministry is not seeking to place responsibility solely on citizens, but is working to strengthen public partnership while coordinating with relevant bodies, especially the ministries of local development and environment, to address the causes of pollution and raise public awareness.
As part of the campaign, the ministry launched a WhatsApp line to receive public reports on pollution or waste dumping in waterways.
Citizens can send photos of violations, along with their locations, via WhatsApp to 01501288112, the ministry said.
Sewilam said the new circular marks a shift from relying solely on periodic cleaning operations to tackling the sources of pollution through strict law enforcement, public reporting, and awareness campaigns.
The crackdown comes as Egypt faces one of the world’s most acute water-scarcity challenges. The country’s per capita water share has fallen to around 490 cubic metres annually, less than half the international water poverty threshold, while population growth, climate pressures, pollution, and rising demand continue to strain the Nile-dependent water system.
Recent official figures show that Egypt’s annual water demand stands at 88.55 billion cubic metres, compared with 65.35 billion cubic metres in renewable resources, forcing the state to rely heavily on water reuse, treatment projects, desalination, and stricter governance of canals and waterways.
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