Issues and Challenges in Spatial and Temporal Water Allocation in the Nile Delta
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Egypt Is a Gift of the Nile
1.2. Egypt’s Water Resources Management/Development and Planning
2. Major Overall Challenges for Egypt
2.1. An Ever-increasing Pressure on Egypt’s Water Resources
2.2. Water Pollution
2.3. Effect of Climate Change
2.4. Effect of Urbanization and Infrastructure in the Delta
2.5. Current Water Policy to Face the Challenges
- How can the efficiency of the various uses be increased?
- How can the agricultural expansion policies of the government be supported and what are the priorities and limitations in this expansion, given the existing water resources, optimum efficiency, and the priority for drinking and industrial water use?
- How should Egypt manage its water resources system under variable supply conditions?
- (1)
- develop additional resources,
- (2)
- make better use of existing resources, and
- (3)
- measure water quality and environmental protection in the field.
2.6. Need for Integration of Policies
3. Issues and Challenges in Spatial and Temporal Water Allocation
3.1. Aggravation of the “Seven Fat Years and Seven Lean Years” Phenomenon
3.2. Description of the Irrigation System in the Nile Delta
3.3. Management of Water in the Nile Delta
3.4. Advantages of Improvements in Flow Regulation Being Tested
3.5. The Mostly Unknown Role of Groundwater
4. Discussion
4.1. No Real Possibility of Regulating Water Volumes
4.2. Matching Irrigation Supply with Crop Demand Currently Impossible
4.3. The Future Is Uncertain
4.4. The International Water System Dimension
4.5. The Need for Transdisciplinary Approaches on the Way to Sustainability
5. Conclusions and Recommendations
- There is enormous pressure on both the quality and quantity of water in the Delta, resulting from intensifying agriculture, rapidly growing industry, and a rapidly growing population. The rapidly spreading informal urbanization, leading to an extensive urban network of cities, villages, and connecting roads, influences the irrigation networks due to excessive fragmentation.
- Egypt is an arid country with abundant sunshine and fertile soils, but virtually without rainfall. However, Egypt is blessed with the River Nile, which provides 94% of total water resources and 97% of renewable water resources. The water provided by the Nile, combined with fertile soils and favorable climate, enables farmers to achieve relatively high crop yields.
- The last major drought (period of “lean” years) was in the mid-1980s, but in future the droughts are predicted to become more severe, not only because of climate change but also because of development of water resources upstream in the Nile Basin. Not only has the value of the assets in the Nile Valley and Delta increased considerably since the 1980s, so has the population of Egypt. A drought of similar proportions can be expected to have more serious consequences nowadays. These issues make it crucial for Egypt to be able to deal with (future) droughts and other climate-related extreme events: there is a need to develop capacity for assessment and management of water and climate-related risks in the future.
- Matching irrigation supply with crop demand is currently impossible because there is no real ability to properly measure and regulate water volumes at the distributary canal level. Moreover, releases from the High Aswan Dam are made according to crop water irrigation water requirements from an estimated cropping pattern, while the actual cropping pattern is free.
- As crop-demand-based precision irrigation supply will not be easily attainable in Egypt, providing water security in the form of guaranteed or agreed water supply may be a preferred water allocation principle. Proportional division of flow may have the best chances as the basis for water allocation in periods of drought. Instead of dividing water over the area, the water shortage is then divided over the land. There is a lack of awareness about the need to develop the capacity to deal with droughts in the future.
- The issue of (future) water scarcity has consequences and implications that can no longer be adequately addressed by any one of the Ministries alone. Many other government departments and agencies must be involved and decisions will have to be made at the highest political level, requiring the integration of policies. There is a need for a “Water Scarcity Action Plan” as well as effective science–business–policy interfaces at the national level. It is important that all involved realize that food is grown by the private sector (including large farming organizations and small farmers) and this important stakeholder has a prime position in the Egyptian irrigation system (and its new extensions).
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
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Year | Population | Nile Water Availability |
---|---|---|
1960 | 25 million | 2200 m3/capita/year |
2000 | 62 million | 887 m3/capita/year |
2010 | 80 million | 688 m3/capita/year |
2015 | 90 million | 611 m3/capita/year |
2037 | 140 million | 392 m3/capita/year |
2050 | 170 million | 324 m3/capita/year |
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Wolters, W.; Smit, R.; Nour El-Din, M.; Sayed Ahmed, E.; Froebrich, J.; Ritzema, H. Issues and Challenges in Spatial and Temporal Water Allocation in the Nile Delta. Sustainability 2016, 8, 383. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040383
Wolters W, Smit R, Nour El-Din M, Sayed Ahmed E, Froebrich J, Ritzema H. Issues and Challenges in Spatial and Temporal Water Allocation in the Nile Delta. Sustainability. 2016; 8(4):383. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040383
Chicago/Turabian StyleWolters, Wouter, Robert Smit, Mohamed Nour El-Din, Eman Sayed Ahmed, Jochen Froebrich, and Henk Ritzema. 2016. "Issues and Challenges in Spatial and Temporal Water Allocation in the Nile Delta" Sustainability 8, no. 4: 383. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040383