Cairo:Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sewilam, emphasized the importance of cooperation in managing Egypt's water resources during the opening of the ninth Cairo Water Week (CWW). The country requires approximately 120 billion cubic meters of water annually but currently meets only 89 billion cubic meters through available resources, water reuse, and virtual water imports in the form of food.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Sewilam addressed the challenges Egypt faces, including unilateral actions upstream on the Nile, climate change, population growth, and seawater intrusion. The event, themed 'Water as a Catalyst for Peace, Shared Prosperity and a Sustainable Planet,' is held under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in attendance.
Sewilam outlined Egypt's move to implement the second generation of its water management system, which includes pillars such as desalination, wastewater treatment, water governance, and the use of technology and artificial intelligence for monitoring. The rehabilitation of the Ismailia, Port Said, and Suez canals has cost around 1 billion Egyptian pounds, with digital-twin technology being employed to model the Ismailia Canal and its branches.
Furthermore, Sewilam highlighted Egypt's measures to adapt to climate change, including the use of traditional stone reinforcement and environmentally friendly materials to protect shorelines and investments in the Nile Delta. He also discussed Egypt's support for the Nile Basin Initiative's principle of 'One River, One People, One Future' and called for a review of the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement to ensure sustainable cooperation among basin countries.
The ninth Cairo Water Week includes 137 sessions with international and regional organizations such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the European Union (EU), and the International Water Management Institute. The program features preparatory sessions ahead of the 2026 United Nations (UN) Water Conference and a high-level seminar on water security in cooperation with China's Ministry of Water Resources.