Egypt: Assessing the new National Water Strategy against SEA principles

4 March 2024

The National Water Strategy of Egypt is up for renewal and the NCEA has been requested to review the current strategy against SEA principles. The existing 2017 strategy does not fully take the latest climate change scenarios into account, while the available water resources for the rapidly increasing population could be insufficient in the years to come. 

During a workshop held in Cairo in February, staff of the Planning Division of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation were informed on the additional value of SEA in national planning and how it could contribute towards a more climate-robust socio-economic development strategy. Alternative development pathways were presented, integrating elements such as predicted population growth, the need for ecosystem services (e.g. halting salt-water intrusion) and growth of industrial usage, which, together with full stakeholder involvement during the process, collectively contribute to developing the new and comprehensive National Water Strategy.