Egypt fines farmers for wasting water as Nile dam crisis drags on

Alaa Omran

Egyptian farmer Mohamed Omar (C), 65, supplies his farmland with water from a canal, fed by the Nile river, in the village of Baharmis on the outskirts of Egypt's Giza province, northwest of the capital Cairo, on December 1, 2019. - Egypt has for years been suffering from a severe water crisis that is largely blamed on population growth. Mounting anxiety has gripped the already-strained farmers as the completion of Ethiopia's gigantic dam on the Blue Nile, a key tributary of the Nile, draws nearer. Egypt vi — Egyptian farmer Mohamed Omar (C), 65, supplies his field with water from a canal fed by the Nile River in the village of Baharmis on the outskirts of Egypt's Giza province, northwest of the capital Cairo, on Dec. 1, 2019. — KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

CAIRO — Egypt is fining farmers for wasting water as Ethiopia approaches the second phase of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), built on one of the main tributaries of the Nile River, which Cairo fears will affect its share of water.

On Jan. 28, the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, instructed the ministry’s agencies to begin collecting fines for wasting water from farmers who fail to adhere to modern irrigation systems.

Abdel-Aty stressed the importance of finding successful ways to switch from flood irrigation to modern irrigation systems. He urged more farmers to switch to smart irrigation systems and use tools like soil moisture meters developed by the ministry, stressing the many advantages offered by modern systems to maximize productivity, reduce operating costs and increase profitability through the efficient use of labor, energy and water.

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation's meters measure soil moisture levels to determine the crops’ water needs and send the data to farmers' mobile phones by text message.

Egypt fines farmers for wasting water as Nile dam crisis drags on

Cairo has begun fining farmers for inefficient irrigation practices as it promotes a series of projects to enhance water security.

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