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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 February 2000 Issue No. 469 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 February 2000 Issue No. 469
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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'More precious than petrol'
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The days when water could be taken for granted are long gone. Fatemah Farag reviews the government's strategy
The government's strategic plan for water management until 2017 was reviewed by President Hosni Mubarak on 5 February. "A drop of water is more valuable than petrol," said the president, sparking a chain reaction of commentary regarding Egypt's water future.
The state's strategy is not new. Designed by current Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mahmoud Abu Zeid, it rests on three pillars: optimising water usage; preserving the quality of available water; and developing water resources in cooperation with the countries of the Nile Basin. The past week's main development was the release of abundant information.
For example, the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources announced that Egypt's current drinking water needs are 4.5 billion cubic metres, expected to reach 6.65 billion by 2017. The international water poverty line is 1,000 cubic metres per person (see Chart above). Industry's current and future needs are estimated at 10.6 billion cubic metres, 8.3 billion of which can be recycled.
To optimise use of Egypt's 55.5 billion cubic metres of available water (not including groundwater resources, estimated at 11.9 billion cubic metres), the government is emphasising the need for a modern irrigation system, as agriculture accounts for 85 percent of total water usage. Desert reclamation projects all use modern, efficient techniques; the problem seems to lie in the rehabilitation of the Nile Valley and Delta.
Modernisation "is a must if we are to insure sustainable development and productivity. At least five billion cubic metres could be saved, soil salinity, waterlogging and drainage problems could be avoided, and crop yield would be enhanced," explained Abdel-Rahman Shalabi, Abu Zeid's advisor on water policies and projects.
According to information released last week, an irrigation upgrading project costing LE7 billion will be implemented between now and 2017, saving three billion cubic metres of irrigation water.
It is a costly scheme, but the ministry has announced that farmers are only expected to share in the cost related to tertiary canals, i.e. canals already within their property. Shalabi added that even this is paid back over 20 years, after a grace period. "All other costs for public and main systems are paid for by the government," he asserted.
Another component of usage optimisation is recycling. Currently, five billion cubic metres of water are reused, and the figure is expected to increase to 8.4 billion in 2017.
The water the government hopes to save will serve horizontal expansion plans: 1.2 million feddans in the Nile Valley and Delta area, which will use both recycled waste water and underground water; 540,000 feddans in north Sinai and the west Canal area; another 540,000 feddans in Toshka and 250,000 feddans in central Sinai.
photo: Magdi Hanna
So where will all the water come from? "The policy, designed to secure and even enhance the water resources needed for future development, takes into consideration efficient water management and use of agricultural drainage water, but also the development of efficient crop patterns and varieties, using (within safe and economic limits) underground aquiferous sources and non-conventional water resources. These resources will secure at least 20 billion cubic metres of water, enough for the socio-economic plans of the next 20 years," elaborated Shalabi.
These plans have also raised many questions. For example, some worry that the current rate of groundwater use is depleting this source. The ministry denies such allegations. "Underground water management is carried out within the rate of replenishment," explained Shalabi. "The recharging of the Nile aquifer is more than seven billion cubic metres per year and our extraction so far has been in the range of 4.5 billion cubic metres. Hence, depletion is not foreseen. Farmers are given matrices they must follow and the new groundwater sector monitors use of this resource, which comprises a great part of our fresh water resources."
Egypt's expansion plans are worrying its nine partners in the Nile Basin. The government, however, has reiterated that Egypt is a downstream country and basically gets what is left. Abu Zeid explained: "Egypt's quota is only six to eight per cent of total rainfall over the Nile Basin. Much of the rest is lost, some through evapo-transportation -- consumption of plants -- while more still seeps into the ground, and the bulk is lost to the sea. What we use is very little when compared to the potential. But to tap this potential, there must be management of water in areas like the Equatorial Lakes, where losses are huge."
This argument was substantiated by information released by the ministry last week. The Equatorial Plateau is the source of 527 billion cubic metres of water annually. Only 13 billion reach Aswan, i.e. a loss of 97.5 per cent. Further, Bahr Al-Ghazal (the Sudanese province where the Sudd swampland lies) is estimated to receive 533 billion cubic metres of rain annually. None of this water reaches Aswan; further, no other African country is able to tap into the resource. Finally, the Ethiopian Plateau receives 590 cubic metres of water, of which an estimated 87.9 per cent is lost.
Hence the government's assertion that lack of coordination among Nile Basin countries is a function of a perceived conflict in interests, but also of a lack of technical expertise in other countries. "To make [other Nile Basin countries] understand that it is possible to have water for everyone has taken us many years," said Abu Zeid.
This is why recently announced projects, which include a grant to Kenya to dig 100 wells at a cost of $4.3 million and another grant of $13.9 billion to Uganda to combat the spread of parasitic Nile lilies, are relevant. A technical support programme to Tanzania is also under consideration, at the cost of $5 million.
Shalabi commented: "Progress in setting up guidelines and principles has been very encouraging. The skeleton of a framework [for cooperation] and many details are currently being reviewed by the representatives of the concerned Nile states." The Technical Committees and the Council of Ministers of Water Affairs are in charge of these items.
The third pillar of action is water quality. The process starts beyond the High Dam. "We have been able to protect Lake Nasser from pollution. Building within a two-kilometre range of the Lake is prohibited and cruise boats have been restricted to six in number. These are investigated regularly to make sure that waste water is taken care of properly," explained Fahmi Tawadros, head of the High Dam Authority.
Further, the Authority makes two annual trips on Lake Nasser. "One goes beyond our borders into the Sudan and the other remains within Egypt. We survey the mud and analyse the water, plants, sand -- everything related to the lake. With these samples, we are able to be very confident of the quality of water." Efforts do not end there. "We also set up an extremely modern nuclear radiation monitoring station to make sure that the water is clear of such pollutants. We set it up over a year ago after hearing rumours that an African country was dumping nuclear waste into the Nile. The rumour was false, but now we will always be prepared for such an emergency."
Further downstream, however, pollution control has fallen short of the mark. Raw sewage is still dumped into the majestic waterway, while some estimate that 500 million cubic metres of industrial waste are dumped in the Nile by 5,000 plants, 2,700 of which are located in Shubra Al-Kheima. "Laws 48/1982, 12/1984 and 4/1994 all cover various aspects of Nile pollution and are being enforced," said Shalabi. "A National Monitoring System for Surface Water, i.e. the Nile, canals, drains and groundwater, is in place. Several specialised institutes and laboratories deal exclusively with this issue. Further, we are coordinating efforts with the Ministries of Health, Environment and Housing and have launched nationwide campaigns, all of which we hope will ensure effective and sustainable water management."
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