Climate Change Impact on Water Resources

Climate change poses a significant threat to water resources globally, and Egypt is no exception. Climate change directly affects Egypt’s water resources, including the Nile River, groundwater reserves, and rainfall patterns. Therefore, adapting to these changes requires strategies aimed at mitigating negative impacts and ensuring sustainable water management.

Water resources in Egypt are of utmost importance due to the country’s heavy reliance on the Nile River as a primary water source. Climate change—manifested through rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events—presents major challenges to these resources. Scientific analysis reveals clear impacts of climate change on the availability, quality, and management of water in Egypt.

In recent years, rising temperatures have led to increased evaporation rates, negatively affecting both surface and groundwater resources. At the same time, changes in rainfall patterns have led to decreased precipitation, resulting in water scarcity. Extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, have become more frequent, complicating water management efforts and impacting infrastructure. Additionally, the Nile River faces numerous challenges due to reduced upstream inflows and changing seasonal flow patterns. Rising sea levels are also causing seawater intrusion into groundwater aquifers, leading to increased salinity and deterioration in water quality. Agricultural activities, which rely heavily on irrigation, are affected by the increased demand for water caused by higher temperatures, leading to lower crop yields and threatening food security.

Sustainable water management requires the implementation of efficient irrigation technologies, reuse of treated water, the use of smart irrigation systems, and the expansion of drought- and salt-tolerant crops. Moreover, integrated and advanced water management policies are essential for climate change adaptation, such as the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation’s launch of the second-generation strategy for the modern irrigation system, which consists of nine key pillars.

The Environmental and Climate Change Research Institute (ECRI) is a specialized entity under Egypt’s National Water Research Center (NWRC), which operates under the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. The institute focuses on studying the impacts of climate change on water resources, both surface and groundwater, across Egypt.