Egypt is a country where water has become the number one strategic resource. More than ninety percent of the country's water needs are covered by the Nile River, while the average annual rainfall is negligible. This makes Egypt one of the most arid regions in the world, where water resource management is a matter of national security.

The Nile: the main artery of the country

The Nile remains the main and most important source of drinking water for the overwhelming majority of Egyptians. Egypt annually extracts about fifty-five and a half billion cubic meters of water from the river. However, the country is experiencing a severe shortage: the annual water deficit is estimated at fifty-four billion cubic meters. The problem is exacerbated by the rapid population growth, which exceeded one hundred seven million people in 2024 and is expected to reach one hundred sixty million by 2050. As a result, the availability of water per capita has already dropped below five hundred seventy cubic meters per year, which is significantly below the \"water poverty\" threshold set by the UN at one thousand cubic meters. The situation is particularly difficult in rural areas, where fifty-six percent of the population lives.

Underground waters: a treasure in the desert

Significant reserves of fresh water in Egypt are hidden underground. The main reservoir is the Nubian sandstone aquifer, extending under vast areas of the Western Desert. According to estimates by scientists, the total volume of fresh water in this aquifer before its exploitation was about five hundred trillion cubic meters. However, this water is largely fossil water, accumulated a thousand years ago, and its recharge occurs extremely slowly. Active extraction, which reached two billion one hundred seventy million cubic meters in 2006, requires strict control to prevent depletion.

The quality of underground water varies greatly. Studies show that Nubian water often contains traces of ancient seawater and other minerals, which may make it unsuitable for drinking without prior purification. The situation in the Nile Valley and Delta is even more complex: there, groundwater is often unsuitable for drinking due to high mineralization and contamination, forcing local populations to rely almost exclusively on surface water from the river. As a result, even in such areas as the Western Desert, underground water in the Nubian sandstone requires careful monitoring to assess its suitability for drinking purposes.

Desalination: an expensive, but necessary solution

In coastal and tourist areas such as Sharm El Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula, desalination of seawater is the main source of drinking water. This resort annually welcomes about one million tourists, creating a huge demand for water. Desalination is carried out by both state and private enterprises, but this process is highly energy-intensive and has a negative impact on the environment due to the disposal of saline brine. So far, desalination covers less than one percent of the country's total water needs, but its role is expected to increase in the future, especially in tourist areas and along the coast.

Wastewater treatment and reuse

Egypt is actively developing the wastewater treatment sector. The country has a network of five hundred and eight treatment plants that process eighty-nine and two-tenths percent of wastewater. The largest stations around Cairo and Alexandria have been modernized using modern technologies. However, the problem of treatment remains acute, as only sixty-five percent of the population has access to centralized sewers, and the service is unevenly distributed between urban and rural areas. Reused water is an important source for agriculture, and the government aims to reach nearly one hundred percent reuse in the future.

Conclusion

Thus, the search for and provision of drinking water in Egypt is a complex task that is solved through a combination of several sources: the great Nile River, ancient underground water, expensive desalination, and wastewater treatment. Each of these sources has its advantages and limitations, and their combination allows for sustaining life in one of the most arid countries in the world. However, the rapidly growing population and climate change make the question of sustainable management of these resources a key challenge for the future of Egypt.

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