Improvement of Water Resources
Management in Egypt
Hesham Moustafa

Ministry of water Resources and Irrigation
• Formulate the water policies necessary for securing coverage of all the water requirements in agriculture, industry, drinking, navigation and power sectors as well as other consuming requirements.
• Maintain all the available water resources, rationalize its use, maximize its revenues and increase its efficiency by using state of the art technologies in managing water of the Nile River, the groundwater reservoir, rainfall, and drainage water that is usable according to specific standards.

Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation
• Control distribution of irrigation water, establish, operate, and maintain grand barrages and reservoirs.
• Improve and develop irrigation methods for the optimization of the available water resources.
• Maintain water quality and protect water from pollution.
• Increase Egypt’s share from the Nile water by cooperation and coordination with the Nile Basin countries to establish joint projects to make use of the lost water.

Water Situation
• The rising demands for water and the rapid increase of the population make
Egypt facing strong pressures with respect to the country’s limited water availability
• Water Resources in Egypt are fixed to the country’s share of Nile water and minor amounts of rainfall and groundwater

Water Situation
• Late in 1996, Egypt formulated water policy program to assist in identifying, evaluating, and implementing policy adjustments and institutional reforms that would lead to improved water use in agriculture.

Improvement of On-Farm Water
Management Practices
• Land leveling
Achieve water application uniformity in the field to avoid having areas of water logging and others of water stress.
- Water losses could be minimized through reducing farm water run-off

Improvement of On-Farm Water
Management Practices
• Maintenance and operation of field ditches
Due to the importance of the field ditches, a project had started for improving these ditches.
The project aimed to build new and/or improve field ditches to reduce/prevent water losses.

Improvement of On-Farm Water
Management Practices
• Crop Diversity
Due to the fact that the soil characteristics and climate conditions vary over the different water management zones, the agricultural practices are consequently affected by such varying conditions. Selection of crops to be grown over these zones has to be considered.

Improvement of On-Farm Water
Management Practices
• Irrigation Improvement Project
Its package includes a combination of physical and institutional improvements to the main irrigation delivery system and the farm level irrigation delivery and application systems.
These improvements include renovation and improvement of branch and distributary canals, downstream water level control, conversion from rotational flow to continuous flow, mesqa improvements, and organization of farmers into water users associations.

Improvement of On-Farm Water
Management Practices
• Gated pipe system for sugarcane fields
The program included a package of improvements such as laser land leveling, introduction of improved irrigation system (gated pipes), widening spaces between furrows, and balancing fertilizer requirements.

• Short duration rice varieties
Several years have been devoted in developing short season varieties of rice which allow reduced water application and consumption and ensure high productivity levels. The efforts have been quite successful. At least three varieties of rice have been produced.

• Sprinkler/drip irrigation
In new areas, modernized irrigation (sprinkler or drip) is being applied due to the fact that the soil is characterized by relatively higher permeability.
Modernized irrigation is now becoming a must,
(by law) in the newly reclaimed land in Egypt.

• Harmonization of water saving options
The different water saving options could be integrated to save water on the farm level, through the different options:
- Leveling the farm land,
- Lining the farm ditches or using pipelines in place of earth ditches,
- Cultivating crops which are suitable to the climate of the area,
- Using gated pipes in the areas where sugarcane is cultivated,
- Using sprinkler/drip irrigation in newly reclaimed land,
- cultivate short duration rice varieties,
Maintain field ditches, and enhance farmer’s involvement
- Continues flow and night irrigation, and
- Establish water users associations and private sector participation.

Improvement of Water
Distribution System
• Improved water delivery system
- Rehabilitation of water structures along canals
- Replacement of old control structures with new ones
Remodeling canal cross-section to improve its hydraulic characteristics and conveyance efficiency.

Improvement of Water
Distribution System
• Telemetry system
This system enables collecting real-time data and information on water flow every two hours. It utilizes a volumetric basis for water allocation and distribution.

Improvement of Water
Distribution System
• Drainage water reuse
More than 22 main reuse mixing stations are in operation in 22 drain catchments of the delta region. Presently an annual amount of about 4 milliard m 3 drainage water reuse is made available through the official drainage reuse program

Improvement of Water
Distribution System
• Cropping systems and water requirements
Land use intensity is often quite high in both new and old lands. Current intensity (number of crops per year per unit of land area) is about 1.7 for small farmers in new lands and about 2 in old lands. Climatic conditions in
Egypt permit a cropping intensity of non permanent of two or more in new lands.

Improved Reservoir Management
• Forecasting Project
• Numerous studies were carried out to predict the river inflows to lake Nasser upstream High Aswan Dam.
• National Forecast Center has been established in the
Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
• The resulting forecast-control system with water management models allow for more efficient operation of the High Aswan Dam.

Improved Reservoir Management
• Rehabilitation of Grand Barrages
Egypt has ambitious program for rehabilitation of the grand barrages along the Nile to improve its performance to meet different water requirements. Both
Esna and Nagaa Hamadi barrages have been rehabilitated and currently Assuit Barrage is rehabilitated.

Organizational and Regulatory Framework
• Participation and Establishment of Water User
Associations (WUA)
WUA is a private organization owned, controlled, and operated by member users for their benefits in improving water delivery, water use, and other organizational efforts related to water. These associations perform functions which allow the farmers the capability of managing parts of the irrigation system more effectively.

Organizational and Regulatory Framework
• Integrated Water Management District
• MWRI is now implementing the Integrated Water
Management Concept in a number of pilot districts.
• Integrated Water Management Districts (IWMD) integrate all MWRI activities in each district.
• IWMD integrate the different water resources within the district into district water budget and allocation programs.
These water resources include canal water, drainage water, groundwater. Rainfall, etc.