Water in Egypt: The Glass is Half Empty

“We suffer a lot in our daily battle to access potable water. We bear the full costs, because if we didn’t, we would never have water. We can no longer take this! If you go into people’s houses here, you would wonder how anyone manages to live!”

The families of Najah Ihsan and Abu Al-Ola are a sample of one million and 180 thousand Egyptian families without access to drinking water. Their struggle to get a single glass of water continues. In Egyptian folk we say that ‘water is plentiful (with reference to the Nile river), yet it is elusive’. This investigation examines the scandalous waste in the Egyptian water distribution network .

By using open source data, the investigators document how the mismanagement of drinking water facilities in Egypt has led to a decline in the share of water per individual. They also show how this has led to an increase of those deprived of water or have minimal access to it.

Between 2014 and 2018, 95% of Egyptians had constant access to drinking water 24/7. During that same period those without access to this vital commodity increased threefold. The numbers jumped from 380 thousand in 2014, (0.41% of the population) to one million and 180 thousand (or 1.2% of the population). This marks an increase of 800 thousand people, according to the annual report of the Egyptian Drinking Water Regulatory Agency.

Sherif Abu Al-Ola from the Nagaa Salem district is one of those people without access to water. He relies on his neighbours to get water for his family of eight. As for the quality, he says, “The water we drink is of the same quality as the water we give to livestock, but what are we going to do about it? It’s all in the hands of God!”

Water and people in numbers

Large quantities of water are lost through leakages in the distribution networks. The average annual loss reaches 3 out of every 10 liters produced by the treatment and pumping stations. As a result, the share of drinking water per capita per year decreased from 86 cubic meters in 2011 to 63 cubic meters in 2018 (approximately 25% reduction).

To determine why this is we traced the journey that drinking water makes, starting with its source and annual reserves, through the process of transportation, treatment, and distribution. A look at the state’s expenditure financing this sector, and a thorough examination of the data revealed deficiencies causing the decline in the share of water per capita. It also highlighted discrepancies in the share of water reaching different communities in different Egyptian provinces.

Water supply volume is constant, but those going thirsty is on the increase

Egypt’s water resources come from the River Nile with 7 out of every 10 liters coming from the river. Approximately 2 liters come from the reuse of wastewater while the remaining liter is derived from under ground water and rainwater. This is according to the 2019 report on water resources published by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. The total water volume drawn of these resources reached more than 80 billion cubic meters in 2019, compared to approximately 74 billion cubic meters in 2011.

Despite this increase, the percentage of drinking water out of total usage has remained almost constant in recent years at 13 per 100 liters. At the same time, water use in industry increased three and a half times since 2015 to reach 7 per 100 liters, instead of only two liters previously.

Najah Ahmad is a teacher who lives in the village of Ash Shawriyyah in the Nagaa Hammadi district in Qena. She says, “Our village is supplied by water pipes coming from a neighbouring village, but the water flow is either weak or the supply is intermittent. The pipe system is old and perishing, allowing for some residue to seep through the water”.

She adds, “We also have to use a water pump for the water to be stored in a large tank that was erected on the roof, which we have to refill daily.”

In comparison to her sister, Najah’s problem is small. She says that her sister “suffers more because water does not reach her second floor apartment, and in the summer season, she has to travel far to fill up jerrycans which she carries all the way up”.

She continues, “Some use wheelbarrows to transport the water as they cannot carry it. We often have similar problem when the pump fails and the tank is empty, so we buy barrels and fill them up with water and allocate one or two for bathroom use and a similar amount for drinking. Most women suffer from back pain as a result of carrying jerrycans for long distances.”

Nadia Ehsan* has devoted her life to helping those who do not receive regular water supply through her charitable association in Qena, as “many villages do not get enough water, and there are villages that drink salty water, hence we try to support some through desalination plants.”

Pictures of installing water fittings

Ahmad Ridha, media officer of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, explains that “There is a natural loss of water due to the laws of physics (condensation and evaporation) and as a result of network washing operations. Water loss happens also due to burst pipes, and the company is trying hard to repair the leakages. Some water is also lost due to violations where people simply connect to the mains to access water, and the authority work hard to stop this practice”.

Despite the increase in the volume of water produced year on year, percentage of water loss through the distribution networks has been increasing simultaneously. The water waste recorded in 2011 amounted to approximately 25% of the water produced. In 2018, 34% of water produced was lost to leakage and waste in the distribution network according to the Egyptian Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics.

Dia’a Al-Qoosi, water expert and advisor to the former Minister of Irrigation says, “In Japan, the loss reaches only 5%. If the inlet filters at the Egyptian treatment plant were efficient, they would not allow residues permeate and later clog the valves and filters. Additionally, if malfunctions, even in the case of new pipes, were to be addressed immediately, water loss would decrease. The distribution network, its valves and flushing gates must all be maintained periodically.”

One study indicates that the economically acceptable level of water loss ranges between 5% to 10% depending on the source of water. In his response to our email, Vice President of the Middle East Water Forum, Hassan Abul Naja put the ratio that is acceptable for Egypt at 20%.

The media officer at the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater in Egypt, says “The company try its best to reduce water loss through the distribution systems all the time. We have leaks detection programs in all district metered area (DMA), once a leak is detected, measures are taken to reduce the loss. First, we make sure that meters are installed and that additional problems in the networks are fixed. This procedure has been applied in many areas and was effective in helping reduce water losses”.

Uneven water wastage across Egypt

The provinces of Suez, Ismailia and Port Said topped the list of Egyptian areas that recorded the highest water wastage in 2018. Those provinces lose approximately 64 liters per every 100 liters produced compared to half that percentage in 2011, when Suez lost 44 per 100 liters, Ismailia 42, and Port Said 11 respectively. Cairo and Alexandria recorded 31% and 28% water loss in 2018, which Ridha attributed to the size of the network in those governorate and any leakage or burst pipe usually lead to huge wastage compared to other smaller networks.

Water treatment and pumping stations: The source of the crisis

There are various types of water treatment and pumping stations in Egypt, including surface, underground, and desalination water stations. The total number of these indicates that during the above mentioned seven years, the number of stations increased annually by an average of 44 stations, but dividing them by the type of water shows a different reading.

The Nile water forms the largest source of surface water in Egypt. In 2011, there were more than 2000 surface treatment and pumping water stations, but this number dropped to less than half in 2018. According to data published by the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, more than 1100 stations were taken out of service gradually at a rate of 161 stations annually.

Despite the significance of the drop in numbers, the media officer of the Holding Company for Drinking Water refused to acknowledge the problem and stated, “Stations are in service all the time; no station goes out of service; rather, some stations undergo improvement work. Surface water stations especially do not decrease in number, this may happen in the case of underground water stations if the level of salinity in their water increases, then the station is taken out of service based on a decision of the Ministry of Health.”

Rasha El-Khouli, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Heliopolis University, explained that this decline may have occurred as a mean to renew or replace old water pumping stations. This might include updating the technology used, or modernizing old production systems.

The situation is different with drilled well pumping stations. The number of those stations increased by one tenth, from 1456 stations in 2012 to more than 1600 stations in 2018, with an average annual increase of 25 stations. Only the number of New Valley stations were included in the 2011 bulletin.

As for desalination plants, they increased by about one station annually, bringing the total in 2018 to 44 stations, compared to 35 in 2011. 2018 was the last year in which the annual bulletin for drinking water and wastewater was issued. According to Ridha, after that “there was a big surge in the number of desalination plants.”

The figures discussed above covers the number of stations of all types, but what about their real production capacity?

Each water station has a design capacity that represents its maximum (possible) output, and an actual capacity. In 2011, surface water stations showed a significant difference between the two capacities in most governorates, and this brought their overall actual average capacity to 61%, but this difference narrowed in 2018 to become 75% of their design capacity. However, the stations in 14 governorates, operated at less than this average.

These numbers help us understand the overall production capacity. Ridha says that the design capacity of the stations takes into account future (expansion) plans up until 2030. He says, “this takes the needs of residential areas into account based on expected expansion and the rise in population numbers. Accordingly, the design capacity of the station takes these elements into consideration since we are unable to build stations every day. Therefore, a station is designed with a capacity that can encompass a number of years while actual operation is done according to the current population needs.”

As for the drilled well stations located in 20 governorates, the average operation at actual capacity reached 31% of the design capacity in 2012 and then increased to 50% in 2018. Eight governorates worked at less than this percentage with Matrouh and Qena using the least of their capacity. In these governorates the water pumping stations worked at only 5% and 7% of their design capacity. The governorates of Upper Egypt form half, that is, 5 of the 10 governorates that are at the lower end of the scale. Dakahlia was the only governorate that surpassed 90% operation rate, a figure that was attained by Beni Suef right behind Dakahlia in ranking, followed by North and South Sinai.

Ridha explains, “We strive to improve the amount of water produced in terms of quantity and quality at all times. If there is an opportunity to serve an area with drilled well stations, we do that. Sometimes, if surface stations enter into service and can deliver the designated areas with enough water, then we close the wells and content ourselves with surface water.”

Pictures of the purification plant

Photo of the pump

The share of the water produced per capita varies greatly in Egyptian provinces. In South Sinai, the share per capita was 28 times greater than that in Port Said and 14 times more than in Suez. These are the two governorates with the lowest share of water per capita, followed by Qalyubiyya, Minya, Sohag, Monufia, Asyut and Beni Suef and Qena. Naturally, this has affected levels of consumption. Comparing the two years of 2011 and 2018 reveals that for every 100 liters consumed in 2011, 88 were consumed in 2018, marking a decrease of 12%. In this way, the share per capita decreased by about a quarter, dropping from 86 cubic meters per year in 2011 to 63 cubic meters in 2018.

Rasha El-Khouli explains the sizable disparity between governorates and says, “several factors affect the overall levels of consumption and disparities between provinces, like standards of living and social and economic setting of each province”.

Al-Qoosi on the other hand believes that raising awareness towards rationalising water consumption is essential. She explains, “If only one faucet leaks water, it wastes 3 cubic meters in a year. If we assume that we have more than 10 million housing units with nearly 50 million leaking faucets, it means that 150 million cubic meters per year are wasted. Wasting dirty water is a mistake, but wasting clean water is a sin.”

The comparison between the quantities consumed 2011 and those consumed in 2018 shows a marginal increase in consumption per capita in 8 governorates.

Ihsan from the charitable organisation cites an example of the dire situation of a particular village and its access to water, she explains, “A village called Hindi only receives water through government tankers every 10 or 15 days when people fill up their jerrycans and then wait for the water vehicles to pass again.”
Photo of children filling water from tanker trucks

State spending on maintenance ranks low in priority

Egyptian drinking water utility falls under the control of the Ministry of Housing and Population. The Executive Body, and the National Authority for Potable Water and Sewage, are responsible for offering, awarding, financing and supervising drinking water projects. The first entity (the executive body) covers the governorates of Greater Cairo and Alexandria while the second looks after the rest. In the state’s general budget from 2010 to 2020, the total expenditure on water supply amounted to more than 94 billion Egyptian pounds, that is, more than 9 billion per year. The National Authority’s share of this was about two-thirds. According to the budget figures from the fiscal year 2017-2018, the amount of 9 billion represents three quarters of the state’s public spending on water facilities.

Costs cover wages, grants and benefits in kind, and the purchase of goods and services related to water treatment plants. The share of maintenance expenditure came to an average of nearly 70 million Egyptian pounds per annum. This means that for every 100 million of expenditure, less than one million is designated for maintenance. Although the National Authority’s expenditure is double that spent by the Executive Body, the difference was huge in terms of maintenance. For every 100 million the Executive Body spends on maintenance, the National Authority spends only one million, although it is in charge of 23 governorates, compared to only the four governorates under the Executive Body.

On the other hand, the organizations do not achieve any financial surpluses; rather, they suffer from a large deficit between expenditure and revenue.

What about the Holding Company that is primarily responsible for operating and maintaining water stations?

The average total costs in the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater is set at more than 6 billion Egyptian pounds annually. An average of 400 million pounds is spent on service supplies, including maintenance among other issues, according to the Annual Bulletin for Economic and Statistical Indicators for Public Enterprise and Public Sector Companies. This bulletin is issued by the Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics.

Therefore, for every 100 million the company spends out as general operating cost for water production, only 6 million is allocated for maintenance, which is less than one-tenth. Calculating this percentage from the overall production and operational cost perspective means that for every 100 million pounds, there is a total of 15 million pounds earmarked for maintenance requirement which form less than one-fifth of the amount that was spent between 2008 and 2016.

The company’s media officer states, “The sums allocated for maintenance go entirely towards that. There are operating requirements, such as electricity, chlorine and alum. Sanitation plants need chemicals for treatment. All these sums are continuously monitored by the Central Auditing Organization.”

He stresses, “These amounts are not assigned randomly, but according to the general plan that determines the number of stations and networks and their cost in each governorate. They are also updated in five-year plans in addition to an annual plan on the basis of which budgets are approved. There are mechanisms for determining all this.” However, the 2017-2018 report of the Egypt Water, Sanitation and Consumer Protection Agency highlights the financial challenges that have affected the size of the funding required for maintenance and operation. These challenges limited their ability to improve performance. There are also technical challenges such as “the inefficiency of the replacement and renewal programs, the weak periodic maintenance programs and the lack of technical expertise. All these have led to a high rate of water loss, irregularity in service, low water quality, and the inability to extend drinking water and sanitation services to the more deprived and poor areas.”

Access to potable water in Egypt remains a nightmare for millions. Reforming the treatment, pumping, desalination, and maintenance of the distribution network requires an executive will and practical steps. All should converge to limit leakages and waste of this precious commodity.

*Nadia Ihsan is a pseudonym