The River Nile and its two branches, canals, main canals and watercourses have been, and are, generally, suffering from the pollution of direct and indirect drainage by industrial plants as well as sanitary drainage from villages and cities situated on these watercourses.
Lack of sanitary drainage services in previous years and watercourse passage through residential areas in different villages and cities have led to the drainage of sewage into the Nile . Agricultural drainage faces the same problem, as it can be reused in irrigation after mixing with irrigation water.
Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs (Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency) makes all efforts to improve the quality of fresh water, in general, and the River Nile water, in particular, as the main source for drinking water in Egypt
During 2000/2001, the MSEA announced the River Nile to be free from industrial pollution. This significant environmental improvement is resulting from the compliance with environmental laws and regulations of 34 large industrial establishments, previously responsible for discharging a total of 100 millions m3/year of untreated industrial waste to the river. Their compliance was ensured due to continuous inspection visits carried out by a committee with representatives from MSEA, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and Surface Water Police Department. A total of approximately 360 million Egyptian pounds had been invested in pollution abatement at the 34 establishments. |
| Termination of Water Pollution on the River Nile To read more on the conservation effort of river Nile and lakes in Egypt, please visit http://www.eeaa.gov.eg/english/main/accomp3.asp |
