Effects of Climate Change on Egypt’s Water Supply

Abstract

Egypt is plagued by a water shortage as well as water resource management issues. Egypt, as a developing country, is at particular risk for being unable to provide clean drinking water and adequate sanitation systems for citizens, ensure sustainable irrigation, use hydropower to produce electricity, and maintain diverse ecosystems. The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency report notes that Egypt’s fresh water budget runs a deficit: supply, which comes from the Nile (95%), precipitation (3.5%) and ground water (1.5%) is less than current demand. Egypt has available fresh water reserves of 58 billion m³, but an annual water demand of about 77 billion m³. This deficit is met through recycling treated sewage and industrial effluent (four billion m³) and recycling used water, mainly from agriculture (eight billion m³). An additional four billion m³ is extracted from the shallow aquifer and three billion m³ comes from the Al Salam Canal Project. Egypt is therefore in a situation where it must plan for several different future scenarios, mostly negative, if climate change results in increased temperatures and decreased precipitation levels. Even in the absence of any negative effects of climate change, Egypt is dealing with a steady growth in population, increased urbanization, and riparian neighbors with their own plans for securing future water needs. All of these will require Egypt to put water resource planning as a top national security priority.