Water Resources Development and Management Strategy until 2050.

This Water Resources Development and Management Strategy is a long-term nationwide sectoral document aiming to achieve water security for Egypt by attaining sustainable management of water resources. This sustainable management depends on the development and management of the national water-limited resources on the one hand, and the management of current and future water needs on the other. The Strategy is based on the principles of integrated management of water resources. Water security shall be achieved through four basic pillars aiming at providing both immediate and long-term solutions that ensure the provision of water to the different sectors for their different needs in a comprehensive environmental and development perspective, taking into account the protection of the water resources and their environment. These four pillars are (1) developing water resources, whether traditional or non-traditional, including (a) the Nile river, (b) groundwater, (c) rain and floodwater harvesting and protection, (d) reuse of agricultural wastewater, (e) reuse of treated wastewater, (f) desalination of seawater and brackish water, (g) virtual water and agriculture beyond borders; (2) rationalizing water uses and maximizing the return of water in the most consuming sectors which include agriculture, industry, and drinking and household water; (3) improving the quality of water by controlling the pollution in all water bodies; (4) creating the appropriate environment for the integrated management of water resources.
To improve the production while protecting the water resources, the Strategy envisages (i) modernizing irrigation systems; (ii) expanding the production of short-lived crop varieties; (iii) preventing the cultivation of high-water-intensive crops on new lands; (iv) halting the export of water-hungry crops (such as rice); (v) support the crops that consume less water; (vi) encourage contract farming; (vii) encourage the private sector to expand agricultural industrialization; (viii) replace the illegal fish farms built on the lands of land reclamation projects and establish instead of them developed fish farms in desert lands by relying on degraded groundwater; (ix) promote reuse of agricultural wastewater.
The environmental protection regarding the water resources proposed by this Strategy, includes (i) development and exploitation of subterranean reservoirs and their protection from deterioration in quantity and quality; (ii) promotion of studies and researches and revision of legislation to serve water resources management; (iii) utilization of new and renewable energy sources, especially solar energy, in developing groundwater exploitation; (iv) harvesting of rain and torrential rain to increase the charging of the coastal reservoir; (v) construction of dams obstructing lakes to benefit from rain water; (vi) preparation of an atlas on the critical areas prone to torrential rains; (vii) development of an early warning system in areas most vulnerable to floods; (viii) expansion of sewage treatment plants; (ix) a gradual shift on desalination through the generalization of the use of desalinated water in coastal and remote areas; (x) promotion of scientific and technological progress in the field of water desalination and the use of renewable energy; (xi) utilization of treated sewage or industrial wastewater or saline groundwater for irrigating gardens; (xii) obligation for all industrial areas or industrial units to introduce modern technological systems and use closed water circuits to treat industrial wastewater; (xiii) utilization of factory equipment that relies on air cooling instead of water cooling; (xiv) clearing the navigation channel and providing it with the appropriate navigational equipment; (xv) promotion of hydroelectric power generation; (xvi) adaptation strategies to climate change.
A more inclusive economic and social growth can be achieved through (i) implementation of a national program to raise farmers’ awareness of the issue of water and the importance of preserving it for the continuation of agriculture; (ii) promoting and encouraging the role of farmers and motivating them to manage water and legalize its uses through water user organizations; (iii) raising the efficiency of drinking water distribution facilities and expanding the use of tools and equipment.
As for Governance, the water policies are implemented, evaluated, and monitored on several levels. At the national level, there is the Supreme Council for the Protection of the Nile River and Waterways, headed by the Prime Minister. While at the governorate level, the water resources committees and the regional committees are the responsible bodies for preparing, monitoring, and implementing the regional procedures. The Ministry of Water Resources and Information, in coordination and cooperation with the concerned ministries, has set up a monitoring and evaluation machine for policies, strategies, and water plans. The follow-up mechanisms and the evaluation of the strategy include the development of general indicators of standards of achievement at the levels of inputs, outputs, and objectives, provided that they are realistic, measurable, and within a specific time frame.