Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday inaugurated a new hydroelectric project and plant in the southern Asyut province, at a cost of 6.5 billion pounds ($365 million). The project and plant come in an effort to improve navigation in the Nile River and preserve its water from waste.
Egypt suffers from a nationwide shortage of its water supply and it relies overwhelmingly on its share of the Nile water.
On average, Egypt’s share from its water amounts to an annual 55.5 billion cubic meters, in addition to very limited groundwater and rainfall.
Egypt is bracing itself for an impending crisis in which the already insufficient share could be slashed back as Ethiopia approaches the completion of the Renaissance dam, which it is building on one of the Nile’s main tributaries.
“There are great challenges facing Egypt in the field of water security and management,” Administrative Control Authority (ACA) Director Mohamed Irfan said at the Sunday inauguration.
“As the population continues to grow…most water and renewable resources are coming from outside the country,” he added.
Irfan further explained the need for upcoming generations to raise awareness around the importance of preserving and securing water.
“The state has been quick to develop a strategy which employs modern technology to conserve, renew and improve the efficiency of the use of available water resources.”
Egypt has set a plan for 2018-2021, in which the state allocated 40 billion Egyptian pounds, to achieve an annual water yield of 10 billion cubic meters.
The ACA director also pointed out that projects completed over the last four years, with investments of 30 billion Egyptian pounds, included drilling for underground wells and building supportive infrastructure projects for agricultural expansions.
Clearing and trenching waterways and flood-protection projects helped develop Egypt’s coasts and beaches, he said.
Irfan revealed that Asyut projects meet the needs of five governorates: Asyut, Minya, Beni Suef, Faiyum and Giza and substantially improve their irrigation systems.
