Blog 3 - Egypt: Opportunities and Challenges for the Integrated Water Resources Management framework

Hello everyone and welcome to blog 3. From this blog onwards, we will focus on each countries and their specific water and political dynamics. This week we are talking about Egypt and we will cover the implementation of the Integrated Water Resources Management through a decentralization process as a policy intervention against water insecurity. We will observe the framework of the Integrated Water Resources Management, its practical implementation in Egypt and how does that target water insecurity? 

Since 1970, Egypt has been consuming more water than naturally available originally caused by multiple pressuring factors such as the population growth, increased food demand, unreliable climate and increasing demand on the Nile making its water consumption pattern more and more unsustainable (Waseem 2017). Freshwater availability in Egypt decreased from 1893 m3 /per capita/per year in 1960 to 700 m3 /per capita/per year in 2012 showing a growing scarcity of freshwater resources which 

Nile River which accounts for 98%
of its renewable freshwater resources .

threatening the agricultural production of the country. In 2009, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation published a report showing that the current model of water irrigation functions at a 50% efficiency rate (Atlantic Council 2021) and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has been calling for a reform of the water sector through a mobilisation of all actors and an integrated management of resources (Waseem 2017). This will trigger the application of the  Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Egypt, which we will firstly define and then observe in the country. 

 

During the March 2000's World Water Forum, "Water Security" was defined under the following condition: 1- if freshwater resources and its ecosystems are protected and improved, 2-' if sustainable development and political stability are promoted', 3- if every person can access and afford safe water for a healthy and productive life and 4- if vulnerable populations are safeguarded from water hazards (Savenijie and Van der Zaag 2008). In order to achieve Water Security according to Savenijie and Van der Zaag (2008), there needs to be a comprehensive approach to the management of water resources. One of the existing framework for a sustainable management of resources is the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) developed by Savenijie and Van der Zaag (2008). It proposes to account four dimensions (water resources, water users, spatial scale, temporal scale) of water to provide an optimal management cycle integrating different sectors and policies of national economic management (Abdelgawad & Al 2010). 

Although the agriculture sector accounts for only 11% of the country's GDP in 2020, it is the highest freshwater consuming sector with 86% of Egypt's' freshwater withdrawals and it employs a quarter of the population (Atlantic Council 2021), highlighting the importance of accounting for farmers perspective in policy decision and the government efforts for an integrated water strategy. The Egyptian MWRI and other institutions implemented the IWRM framework through different practices across the country. Abdelgawad and al. (2010), professors of the University of Cairo, have investigated and assessed the applications of the IWRM and its limitations. Their research revealed that the IWRM theoretical framework was made applicable in Egypt through a ministerial decrees for decentralization and user participation's policies. The main project is the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) approach with involved both the government and farmers in the design process. Essentially a decentralization policy for irrigation management, the PIM reduced cost for the government and enabled farmers decide on the irrigation requirement for their cropping patterns (Abdelgawad and al. 2010). 

 

To conclude, IRWM provides a theoretical solution to Egypt's unsustainable water management which progressively implemented by the relevant institutions.  However, challenges to a sustainable water management persists. The IRWM's programs are still too broad and distinct initiatives that hinder the general efforts of the PIM while more coordination would save time and funding according to (Abdelgawad and al. 2010). Aside from a deficient management, the other issues relating to water resources persist such as water quality management and the Nile dispute.