2019 Floodwater flowing into Egypt exceeds earlier years

CAIRO – 13 October 2019: The volume of floodwater flowing into Egypt in October exceeds those of earlier years, and the overall amount in 2019 is “promising,” the Ministry of Irrigation said Sunday.

By August, the floodwater was around the average, but the rain has increased significantly downstream since then, according to the ministry statement.

The permanent committee at the ministry tasked with regulating the river water reviewed the impact of the water year on Egypt’s water resources at this time and how the water should be distributed for different purposes.

It also discussed the measures needed to raise the efficiency of estuaries and canals, update maps, improve the water quality, clean the riverbed, and achieve the equilibrium of the river. Pollutants deposited in the Nile could be eliminated by increasing the river disposals to “wash” the riverbed, which may heighten the water level on the riverbanks and within the water surface that includes the main stream and the accretion of the river.

The statement said the ministry is strictly applying the regulations to counter encroachments to protect the borders of the Nile and its two distributaries, Damietta and Rosetta, and prevent any activities inside the restricted areas of the Nile.