A new direction for allocating water of the Nile River in Egypt
Date
1998-10
Authors
Priest, John E., author
U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, publisher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
The Egyptian philosophy of water use is that of an agrarian society even though perhaps only 50% of foodstuffs are produced domestically. The Egyptian Government is now implementing a plan of action that will spread water over vast new areas of the Western Desert and the Sinai. The objective is to transfer within 20 years as many as 7 million persons from the Nile Valley and the Delta to intensively irrigated areas of the Western Desert. This diversion of Nile River water is to be accomplished even as the nine upstream riparians are demanding more water. A paradigm shift is required. Those guiding irrigation development in the Western Desert must accept and embrace a model of mixed development based on: 1) the eventual minimization of irrigation of field crops, 2) the identification and filling of now dry water-table aquifers through diversion of excess river flows in wet years, and 3) exploitation of minerals and other important resources of the Western Desert to support the new communities. Clearly, during the initial stages of New Valley developments, the government needs to divert the entire excesses of wet year flows for over-irrigation of reclamation crops and the filling of pre-identified underground reservoirs. Integrated ground-water-surface-water systems should be established., successively along the path of development, to supply municipal and industrial water and for the irrigation of vegetables and fruit trees. A large component of the water required for creating shaded communities and wind breaks should be derived from reuse of treated wastewater effluents and the pumping of mildly brackish ground water. Thus, through the establishment of water-table aquifers along the route of development and the careful husbanding of the water resource, extensive settlements can be realized in the western Desert without substantial diminishment of the productive capacity of the agriculture of the Nile Valley and Delta. Sustainability of the colonization will depend equally on the exercise of care in protecting the fragile desert environment in every zone of development and the equitable collection of water user fees from the start of project operations.
Description
Presented at River basin management to meet competing needs: proceedings from the USCID conference on shared rivers held on October 21-31, 1998 in Park City, Utah.