The Egyptian Minister of Local Development, Mahmoud Shaarawy, said that Egypt has entered the stage of water poverty, according to international rates and standards, and according to the UN standards. He explained that the definition of water poverty limits the per capita share to 1,000 cubic meters of water per year, and therefore today the per capita share of water in Egypt has decreased to 550 or 580 cubic meters of water, which is about half of the water poverty rate. Shaarawy presented the features of the water situation in Egypt at present, the state’s plan regarding the policy of rationalizing water use, the national project for lining water channels, and the transition to a modern irrigation system to conserve water, treat agricultural and sanitary drainage water, desalinate sea water, and purify lakes. The downstream nations fear possible blows to water facilities, agricultural land, and overall availability of Nile water. Negotiations over the dam between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have stalled for years, with the three parties ultimately failing to reach any concrete agreement.
