What is it about?
This chapter explains how deeply Egypt relies on the Nile for almost all of its water, and how that reliance is now being tested by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and by rising domestic demand. It traces Egypt’s water policy from historic projects, such as the High Dam, to today’s mix of Nile water, groundwater, reuse, and food imports, and then examines how the GERD, climate change, and population growth are collectively pushing Egypt toward chronic water and food shortages. The chapter also examines the challenging negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan, and inquires about the type of cooperation and internal reforms Egypt requires to secure water and sustain its population in the coming decades.
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Why is it important?
This chapter is important because it shows that water for Egypt is not just a technical issue about dams and pipes, but a national security and survival question that affects every farmer, consumer, and policymaker. By combining data on water resources, agriculture, climate change, and regional politics, it helps readers see how decisions taken today about the GERD, irrigation, and food imports will shape Egypt’s stability and its relations with the Nile Basin countries for generations. At a time when global water stress and climate risks are growing, the Egyptian case offers wider lessons on how upstream–downstream tensions can either lead to cooperation and shared gains, or to deepening crisis
Perspectives
Writing this chapter was especially meaningful for me as both an Egyptian and a scholar of African politics. It allowed me to bring together years of teaching and research on Nile Basin relations with a very personal concern about how my own country will cope with water scarcity and regional power shifts. Working through the numbers and the politics side by side reinforced my belief that Egypt’s future security will depend as much on wise cooperation with its neighbours and bold domestic reforms as on any legal right or historic claim to the Nile.
Professor Hamdy A. Hassan
Zayed University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Egypt's Water Policy and the Challenges of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), January 2025, Edward Elgar Publishing,
DOI: 10.4337/9781803927176.00011.
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