|
 In
Egypt, INECO will discuss with local stakeholders the issues
of water quality deterioration in the
region of Bahr Basandeila Canal, of the Dakahlia Governorate.
The Governorate hosts a permanent
population of approximately
4.98 million people.
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.
The Bahr Basandeila Canal (in red)
Egypt section of the INECO web site |
