Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

FAO: Egypt's PC Water Supply to Reach 300 m3 by 2030


Mon 15 Apr 2019 | 12:57 AM
Taarek Refaat

The representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Hussein Gadin said on Sunday that the share of water per capita in Egypt is expected to reach 300 m3 by 2030.

" In order to be able to eliminate all forms of water shortages, affecting agricultural productivity, innovative solutions and increased investments are required," Gadin added.

[caption id="attachment_45548" align="aligncenter" width="306"]Nile River flooding Nile River flooding[/caption]

This came during a conference on agriculture and irrigation of the Arab and Near East Region, during which new principles for the development of irrigation systems were launched in light of the impact of climate change.

In light of the salinity of the aquifers created by high sea level, especially in the delta areas, there are inventive methods regarding irrigation. "There is a need to be alert to rural families affected by the scarcity of water," Gadin stressed.

He emphasized the necessity to carefully plan water saving programs in order to fulfill agricultural needs, pointing to the organization's active role during the Cairo water week to improve food security.

Water Facts & Statistics 

Although planet earth is covered by nearly 70 percent of water, only 2.5 percent of it is drinkable. Out of this small portion, only 1 percent is accessible, and the rest is caught inside icebergs and snowfields.

[caption id="attachment_45547" align="aligncenter" width="501"] Icebergs in the Arctic Ocean [/caption]

The rest, however, is saline and ocean-based water, which is not adequate for drinking nor agricultural irrigation.

Agricultural requires a hundred times more water than humans. Up to 70 percent of the fresh river and groundwater obtained proceeds to agriculture.

In addition, only 10 percent goes to domestic applications and 20 percent to industrial uses.