{"id":1150,"date":"2015-05-29T13:03:05","date_gmt":"2015-05-29T18:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/?p=1150"},"modified":"2015-05-29T13:03:05","modified_gmt":"2015-05-29T18:03:05","slug":"water-water-water-egypt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/2015\/05\/29\/water-water-water-egypt\/","title":{"rendered":"Water, Water, Water: Egypt"},"content":{"rendered":"

The main water source for Egypt is the Nile, as graphically illustrated by this map from Lonely Planet<\/strong><\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/p>\n

Ayah Aman reports<\/a> on the Nile’s condition for AL Monitor<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n

An intensive media and political momentum is taking place in Egypt in regard to the conflict\u00a0with Nile headwaters countries<\/a> over securing Egypt\u2019s annual share of the Nile waters. At the same time, the pollution of the Nile River remains a pending issue that is being underscored in Egypt with every water poisoning incident caused by the dumping of hazardous waste in the river. The debate usually ends when the government reassures the public, and emphasizes that the water is safe and suitable for human consumption, without establishing long-term policies to resolve the crisis. …<\/p>\n

Kareem Khaled, a water-quality researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen, spoke to Al-Monitor about the water quality in Egypt. He said, \u201cThe absence of a single administrative body in charge of water management and quality improvement from the High Dam to the riverbed, and up to the point where it [water] is delivered to people’s homes, is the reason behind water pollution in Egypt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Khaled added, \u201cThe state of the Nile water still needs to be precisely and scientifically defined, and we need to find out what pollutants are in the water. The river is subject to all forms of pollution, the most dangerous of which is the untreated, solid industrial waste, which is causing an accumulation of heavy metals in the aquaculture and drinking water, and therefore causes many health problems.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Problems are blamed on management and pollution:<\/p>\n

… since it consumes far more water than it can\u00a0replenish. In addition to other problems that weigh down on the country\u00a0\u2014 such as population density and the dilapidated pipe network, which alone is behind 35% of wasted water every year \u2014\u00a0Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer, because there is not enough water to grow the crops locally.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Earlier this year Mz Aman had reported on an agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia as the nations seek peaceful means to allocate the Nile<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Since the presidents of the Eastern Nile countries<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia\u00a0signed the Declaration of Principles of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam<\/a>\u00a0on March 23, relative official and public acceptance have prevailed in Egypt. After a long historical feud over the Nile waters that Egypt considers part of its national security,\u00a0Ethiopia and Egypt\u00a0are trying to rebuild trust. …<\/p>\n

The historical agreements giving Egypt an annual quota of the Nile waters, estimated at 55.5 billion cubic meters per year, remain the main issue\u00a0for Egypt. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry asserted\u00a0that these agreements will remain intact<\/a>, particularly\u00a0the 1959 water-sharing agreement<\/a> signed with Sudan. Upstream countries have rejected the agreement, claiming that it gives the lion\u2019s share of the water to Egypt. …<\/p>\n

Sisi sent\u00a0several messages\u00a0in his impromptu\u00a0statement during the signing of the Declaration of Principles in Khartoum.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Renaissance Dam still constitutes a concern for Egyptians, especially since the Nile is their only source of water,\u201d he said, but\u00a0asserted, \u201cGod commands water to flow into Egypt so that Egyptians can live and revive their civilization.\u201d Sisi tried to break the ice with Ethiopia by saying, \u201cWe could have lived for years in dispute and doubt, but we have opted for cooperation and trust<\/a>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

FutureDirections<\/strong> International<\/strong><\/em> (referenced by Mz Aman, above) notes<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n