Egypt has a limited annual volume of water. Water resources can be divided into two kinds: (i) Conventional resources which include the Nile River water, groundwater, and rainfall and floods harvest. (ii) Unconventional resources which include reuse of agricultural drainage water, treated wastewater, and desalinated water. Table 2.1 shows that the Nile River is the main source of water in Egypt with an annual allocated flow of 55.5 km3/yr equaled 78.3% of the available water resources in Egypt in 2007. No changes in the volume of the Nile water for Egypt during the period 2003-2007, because Egypt’s share under the agreement of 1959 is determined about 55.5 km3. Groundwater is the second largest resource, 7 km3, which equals 9.9% of the available water resources in Egypt. Groundwater is divided into seepage water in the Nile valley and Delta, and fossil water in the desert and Sinai Peninsula which equal about 6.1 km3, and 0.92 km3 representing 8.6%, and 1.3% respectively of the available water resources in Egypt in 2007. No changes in the volume of seepage water use occurred during the period under study because the Nile water is available in the same regions. Farmers prefer to irrigate their lands from surface water in the Nile and canals. It is cheaper than groundwater. Egypt should motivate farmers to increase withdrawal from groundwater in these regions and save the Nile water to irrigate other new lands. On the other hand, there is a limited opportunity for expansion via fossil water in desert and Sinai Peninsula because it is non-renewable water. The third largest water resource in Egypt is the reuse of agricultural drainage water with a volume of about 5.7 km3 which equals 8.1% of the available water resources in Egypt. It was increasing from year to year during the aforesaid period. There is an important chance to increase the reuse of drainage water especially in the Nile Delta. Drainage water has a potential volume of about 14 km3. Hence, the rainfall and floods harvests, treated waste water, and desalinated water made up about 1.3 km3, 1.3 km3, and 0.06 km3 which equal 1.8%, 1.8%, and 0.1 % respectively of the available water resources in Egypt in 2007. During the period 2003-2007, total available water resources in Egypt grew from 69.7 km3 to 70.9 km3, with the annual growth rate of just 0.35%. No resources increased except for groundwater in the desert, the reuse of agricultural drainage water, and treated wastewater from about 0.9 km3, 4.8 km3, and 1 km3 in 2003 to 0.92 km3 , 5.7 km3, and 1.3 km3 in 2007 respectively, with annual growth rates of about 0.44% , 3.5% , and5.39 % respectively during the same period.
Although, the water resources in Egypt equaled about 70.9 km3 in 2007, most of them were indirectly related to the Nile River water; most of the groundwater from the Nile valley and Delta, reuse of agricultural drainage water, and treated waste water. Hence, the Nile River water actually represents about 97 % of the available water resources in Egypt.
Egypt has a limited annual volume of water. Water resources can be divided into two kinds: (i) Conventional resources which include the Nile River water, groundwater, and rainfall and floods harvest. (ii) Unconventional resources which include reuse of agricultural drainage water, treated wastewater, and desalinated water. Table 2.1 shows that the Nile River is the main source of water in Egypt with an annual allocated flow of 55.5 km3/yr equaled 78.3% of the available water resources in Egypt in 2007. No changes in the volume of the Nile water for Egypt during the period 2003-2007, because Egypt’s share under the agreement of 1959 is determined about 55.5 km3. Groundwater is the second largest resource, 7 km3, which equals 9.9% of the available water resources in Egypt. Groundwater is divided into seepage water in the Nile valley and Delta, and fossil water in the desert and Sinai Peninsula which equal about 6.1 km3, and 0.92 km3 representing 8.6%, and 1.3% respectively of the available water resources in Egypt in 2007. No changes in the volume of seepage water use occurred during the period under study because the Nile water is available in the same regions. Farmers prefer to irrigate their lands from surface water in the Nile and canals. It is cheaper than groundwater. Egypt should motivate farmers to increase withdrawal from groundwater in these regions and save the Nile water to irrigate other new lands. On the other hand, there is a limited opportunity for expansion via fossil water in desert and Sinai Peninsula because it is non-renewable water. The third largest water resource in Egypt is the reuse of agricultural drainage water with a volume of about 5.7 km3 which equals 8.1% of the available water resources in Egypt. It was increasing from year to year during the aforesaid period. There is an important chance to increase the reuse of drainage water especially in the Nile Delta. Drainage water has a potential volume of about 14 km3. Hence, the rainfall and floods harvests, treated waste water, and desalinated water made up about 1.3 km3, 1.3 km3, and 0.06 km3 which equal 1.8%, 1.8%, and 0.1 % respectively of the available water resources in Egypt in 2007. During the period 2003-2007, total available water resources in Egypt grew from 69.7 km3 to 70.9 km3, with the annual growth rate of just 0.35%. No resources increased except for groundwater in the desert, the reuse of agricultural drainage water, and treated wastewater from about 0.9 km3, 4.8 km3, and 1 km3 in 2003 to 0.92 km3 , 5.7 km3, and 1.3 km3 in 2007 respectively, with annual growth rates of about 0.44% , 3.5% , and5.39 % respectively during the same period.
Although, the water resources in Egypt equaled about 70.9 km3 in 2007, most of them were indirectly related to the Nile River water; most of the groundwater from the Nile valley and Delta, reuse of agricultural drainage water, and treated waste water. Hence, the Nile River water actually represents about 97 % of the available water resources in Egypt.