Egypt Watch

Egypt approaches the limit of water scarcity

The Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, has said that although 40% of the workforce in Egypt depends on agriculture as a primary source of income, the per capita share of water is about 560 cubic meters annually, warning that Egypt is approaching the limit of water scarcity.

During his participation in a virtual session within the activities of the Climate Week conference in the Middle East and North Africa, Abdel-Aty added that water scarcity leads to migration and population displacement. He also warned of the apparent impact of climate change on freshwater supplies worldwide, which poses a severe threat to water and food security. Reviewing the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he emphasized that climate change is increasingly leading to displacement and involuntary migration around the world. The World Bank has estimated that the MENA region could lose up to 14% of its GDP by 2050 due to water stress.

The minister called for updating national plans concerned with water and climate, stressing the importance of enhancing integration between global activities and initiatives. The ministry had issued a statement in which it announced that Egypt is working on developing a national plan for water resources until 2037, with investments amounting to 50 billion dollars. The investments are expected to increase to 100 billion dollars, it added.