EGYPT: Government prepares plan for water use rationalisation

The Egyptian government recently announced the development of a plan for rationalising water consumption throughout the country. The objective is to preserve surface water resources that are being depleted with population pressure and Egypt's development.

Egypt is preparing to embark on an important project: the rationalisation of water consumption in the country. The ultimate objective is to preserve surface water resources that are depleting with the country’s development, as well as population growth.

This is the case with the Nile. This river has long provided drinking water to the population and irrigated plantations in Upper Egypt. Its flow is now severely affected by water projects, including the construction of the 6,000 MW Great Renaissance hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia.

The government’s new policy will also impact households with the use of special rooms on taps to save water. It will also focus on raising public awareness of this issue. Rationalisation also concerns public administrations. All ministries and their affiliated institutions will benefit from technology developed by the Arab Industrialization Organization (AOI). It is used to control the flow of water and its pressure in a water system. A pilot project incorporating this technology has already been implemented in several public administrations. This experience shows that it saves about 45% of consumption…