Egypt is a country where water has become the number one strategic resource. More than ninety percent of the country's water needs are met through the Nile River, while the average annual volume of precipitation is negligible. This makes Egypt one of the driest regions in the world, where water resource management is a question 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 abstracts about fifty-five and a half billion cubic meters of water from the river each year. 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 growth in population, 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 UN's \"water poverty\" threshold of one thousand cubic meters. The situation is particularly difficult in rural areas, where fifty-six percent of the population lives.

Underground water: a treasure in the desert

Significant reserves of freshwater in Egypt are hidden underground. The main reservoir is the Nubian sandstone aquifer, which extends over vast territories of the Western Desert. According to scientists, the total volume of freshwater in this aquifer was about five hundred trillion cubic meters before its exploitation began. However, this water is largely fossil, accumulated a thousand years ago, and its renewal occurs very slowly. Active extraction, which in 2006 amounted to two billion one hundred seventy million cubic meters, requires strict control to prevent depletion.

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

Desalination: an expensive but necessary solution

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

Wastewater treatment and reuse

Egypt is actively developing the wastewater treatment sector. The country operates a network of five hundred and eight treatment plants that treat eighty-nine and a tenth percent of wastewater. The largest stations around Cairo and Alexandria have been modernized using modern technology. However, the problem of treatment is 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 in perspective, the government aims to increase the level of reuse almost to one hundred percent.

Conclusion

Thus, the search and provision of drinking water in Egypt is a complex task, solved through a combination of several sources: the great river Nile, ancient underground water, expensive desalination, and wastewater treatment. Each of these sources has its advantages and limitations, and their combination allows to maintain life in one of the driest 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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