Egypt faces exceptional water challenges

Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, Hani Sewilam, called for enhanced cooperation amongst the Nile Basin countries to implement the principles of the “water, food, energy, and ecosystems nexus”, ensuring mutual benefits for all involved.

In his speech at the opening of the training program workshop for Mediterranean countries, “Financing Climate Projects to Implement Water, Food, Energy, and Ecosystems Nexus Projects,” he added that the Arab region is one of the most water-scarce regions in the world.

He explained that 19 of the 22 Arab countries suffer from water scarcity, more than 90 percent of the population of Arab countries faces critical levels of water scarcity, and that 21 Arab countries rely on shared international water resources.

Sewilam warned that Egypt in particular faces exceptional water challenges due to its low rainfall rates and its status as one of the driest countries in the world.

It relies almost entirely on the Nile River to meet more than 97 percent of its water needs.