The main water resource in the region is Bahr Basandeila Canal, which receives its water from Bahr Shibin, from El Rayah El Abbassy Canal, and from the Damietta Branch of the River Nile. The Bahr Basandeila Canal is located at the end of Bahr Shibin Canal, which irrigates an area of approx. 3,000 acres in the Basandeila Village (total population of 25,000 inhabitants).
The region faces water quality problems, similar to those encountered in the Nile water distribution network in general. Waste disposal, heavy use of pesticides, inadequate domestic wastewater treatment, and uncontrolled discharge of industrial effluents have transformed open waterways to repositories and conveyors of liquid waste, and have created major pollution issues. In the region of the Bahr Basandeila Canal, water pollution is mostly due to the discharge of industrial and municipal effluents without prior treatment.
Furthermore, current agricultural practices, including the excessive application of fertilizers and pesticides, result in high nutrient concentrations in the canal surface water, and exacerbate eutrophication and water quality deterioration. Large amounts of wastewater (domestic, industrial, and agricultural) are discharged onto land, and from the Bahr Basandeila Canal end up in the Damietta Branch of the River Nile, posing a serious threat on human health, agricultural production, and the river and coastal ecosystems.