A national plan for water resources has been put in place to manage Egypt's water needs until 2037 at an initial cost of about $20 billion, said Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aaty. Egypt is filling the gap between availabile resources and the actual needs of people by reusing 25 percent of its resources, he added. The presence of about 5 million refugees in Egypt represents a huge pressure on water resources, in addition to the impact of climate change on the coasts, especially in the Delta area, according to the minister. The minister said the ministry will not respond to the many requests submitted to cancel fines imposed on farmers who cultivate rice and violate the law by wasting water during cultivation, said Abdel Aaty. Shoukry delivered a letter from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, that addressed cooperation in water-related fields between member countries of the Nile Basin Initiative.

Source: Egypt Independent May 02, 2017 09:45 UTC