The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) plays a key-role in the development and management of the water system in the country. The Ministry is in charge of water resources research, development and distribution, and undertakes the construction, operation and maintenance; (O&M) of the irrigation and drainage networks.

Specifications and permits for groundwater well drilling are also the responsibility of MWRI. The Ministry is also responsible for collection and disposal of agricultural drainage water, monitoring and assessment of water quality of the various water sources, and protecting the coastal lakes and the shoreline. The organization chart of MWRI is shown below.

There are two major departments and four main authorities that are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the water resources system, irrigation water delivery, and drainage water disposal. Each of these entities has a wide coverage along the Nile irrigation network and there are several entities within each administrative governorate that carries out all activities related to water distribution and drainage.

The two major departments of the MWRI are the Irrigation Department (ID) and the Mechanical and Electrical Department (MED) and they have the widest spatial coverage through their representing bodies as the irrigation directorates, inspectorates, and districts. Within MWRI, the following sectors and departments are of importance:

• The Planning Sector is responsible at central level for data collection, processing and analysis for planning and monitoring investment projects.
• The Sector of Public Works and Water Resources coordinates water resources development.
• The Nile Water Sector is in charge of cooperation with Sudan and other Nile countries.
• The Irrigation Department provides technical guidance and monitoring of irrigation development, including dams.
• The Mechanical and Electrical Department is in charge of the construction and maintenance of pumping stations for irrigation and drainage.

Further to the above institutions, other public authorities are directly related to MWRI:

• The High Dam Authority is responsible for dam operation.
• The Egyptian Public Authority for Drainage Projects (EPADP), which is in charge of all drainage activities within MWRI, and has representing directorates within the network, EPADP is responsible for the construction and maintenance of tile and open drains.
• The National Water Research Center (NWRC) is the research arm of the MWRI and it is the scientific body of MWRI for all aspects related to water resources management. It consists of 12 research institutes, a Central Laboratory for Environment Quality Monitoring (CLEQM) and the Strategic Research Unit (SRU).

MWRI also represents Egypt in the meetings of the Nile basin countries on Nile water issues. There are several joint projects between those countries for the development of Nile water. These projects, if completed, would increase the water shares of member countries significantly. Egypt would gain an additional 9 km³ of Nile water.

More...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR) is involved in improving agricultural activities and land reclamation, including water management at the on-farm level. MALR is in charge of agricultural research and extension, land reclamation and agricultural, fisheries and animal wealth development. 

The Agricultural Research Center comprises 16 institutes and 11 central laboratories and is the scientific body of MALR for all aspects related to agricultural development. 

The Land Development Authority is in charge of contracting and monitoring land development projects and manages land allocation to investors and individuals. 

The Agricultural Development and Credit Bank provide credit to farmers to finance various production requirements.

More...

The Ministry of Housing, Utilities & Urban Development; (MHUUD) provides water supply and sanitation services to the municipal and industrial subsectors. Under MHUUD, the National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage (NOPWASD), and its affiliated agencies, are responsible for planning, design and (oversight of) construction of municipal drinking water purification plants, distribution systems, sewage collection systems, and municipal wastewater treatment plants allover Egypt. NOPWASD is responsible outside of Cairo, Alexandria, and the Suez-canal cities. For Cairo, Alexandria, and the Suez Canal area, the onus is respectively on the General Organization for Sanitary Drainage in Cairo (GOSDC), the General Organization for Greater Cairo Water Supply (GOGCWS), the Alexandria General Organization for Sanitary Drainage (AGOSD), the Alexandria Water General Authority (AWGA), and the Suez Canal Authority. Operational and Maintenance responsibilities are delegated to the local governments who oversee local agencies. The latter are classified into economic/general authorities and public/private companies or utilities in 9 Governorates (with private companies for wastewater treatment in Damietta, Kafr El Sheikh, Beheira).

The General Authority for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage (GAPWSD) is the central body subsuming these governorate entities. The presidential decree, 135 for 2004, authorizes the creation of a Holding Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation and its affiliated companies that include the General Economic Authorities for Drinking Water and Sanitation operating in the Governorates. The company will seek new financial resources to sustain the O&M budget and relief the burden on the government.

Moreover, Presidential Decree, 136 for 2004, covers the creation of the Central Authority for the Drinking Water and Sanitation Sector, and Protection of the Consumer. This decree aims at regulation and monitoring, for quality control and consumer-price control. It reports to the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, and will be the liaison body between the government, the society and the holding company to ensure that national policies and regulations are followed by the holding company. The Minister of Housing heads the Governing Board, which includes members from outside the subsector, namely two technical experts and a representative of the consumers, seconded by the Minister of Housing. The Ministries of Finance, Health and Population and of Environment are represented on the governing board. NOPWASD act as a technical advisor.

More...