Project Name
Management of Water and Salinity in the Nile Delta: a cross-scale integrated analysis of efficiency and equity issues

The Nile Delta covers an agricultural area of approximately 2.5 million ha, irrigated by a dense network of waterways, including 40,000 km of canals that branch off the Nile River and convey water to over 2 million farmers across several nested geographical scales and institutional levels. Intermingled with these conveyance canals are 18,000 km of drains, where water is both partially reused by farmers and pumped back to higher level delivery canals, and eventually conveyed to coastal lakes and the sea. The recycling of drainage water, a deficient or ill-maintained drainage system, and inappropriate in-field management of applied water contribute to salt loading of the system that has significant negative effects on its productivity (Ghassemi et al. 1995). Understanding the causes of, and developing management strategies to address, the issue of salt loads is imperative for the Government of Egypt.