Climate change causes water stress across Egypt: Minister

CAIRO - 18 September 2022: Climate change affects Egypt from the Upper areas to the Mediterranean coastal cities, said Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam.

"The rise in temperature caused water stress in various areas, and sea level rise along the coastal cities and the Nile Delta," he added in a seminar held by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), in cooperation with the Heliopolis University, in Cairo.

The minister called for the enhancement of the role of the National Center for Water Research's young cadres and the ministry’s engineers, to find a solution that addresses such issues, through strengthening the cooperation with the DAAD.

In his speech at the "Environment & Development Forum (EDF) 2022: The Road to Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change CoP27," Sewilam said that many countries suffer from water shortage amid an increase in their populations, stable water quotas, and with climate change having a negative impact on water amounts.

He accentuated the importance of rallying international efforts to face water challenges, along with placing the water issue on top of the global climate agenda, with a view to realizing sustainable development objectives.

On September 7, the minister met with Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Petteri Taalas and his accompanying delegation. The meeting tackled ways of boosting cooperation between Egypt and the WMO in water resources sphere.

"The effects of climate change are already being felt, with impacts across several sectors, including water resources and food insecurity," said former Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Mohamed Abdel Ati in July 2022.