Al-Agha, D.E.

Closas, A.

Molle, François

Horizon / Pleins textes

Below the radar: The boom of 
groundwater use in the Nile Delta 
Doaa Ezzat El-Agha, Irrigation Systems Management Specialist, IWMI, Cairo 
Alvar Closas, Researcher-groundwater management and policy, IWMI, Cairo 
François Molle, Principal researcher, IWMI & IRD, France 
Survey on the dynamics of groundwater use in the Nile 
Delta 
General specifications of the study area and surveyed wells  
The Nile Delta aquifer is one of the largest aquifers in Egypt with a total capacity of 
500BCM, roughly fifteen times the amount of water that enters the Delta annually 
through the river flow itself. The North part of the aquifer is subjected to seawater 
intrusion while the central part is  considered as a transition zone between fresh 
(1000 ppm) and seawater (35,000 ppm). Although  individual wells have been 
known in the delta for a long time, a survey carried out in the central part of the Nile 
Delta uncovered a recent and booming tubewell drilling industry.   
The command area of a main canal running in the central part of the Nile delta was 
selected to study the drivers, social arrangements, intensity of groundwater use, 
variability in well density, and economic and legal aspects.   
A sub-area of 40,000 ha was selected to study the variability of well density. The 
area is served by El-Qased canal which is running from the center to the North of 
the Nile Delta. A set of 18 branch canals (secondary) is serving the study area. The 
crop pattern includes rice, maize and cotton in summer season and onion, wheat, 
Alfa-alfa in the winter season.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Drivers of groundwater-supplement irrigation in the Delta 
Groundwater abstraction in the Middle Delta is strongly linked to inadequate and/or 
untimely availability of surface water in the canals (with different factors causing 
this). Users with poor access to canals depend on groundwater as a complement, 
increasing their water security, especially during peak irrigation times (in summer). 
This study has shown that inadequately maintained canals is also a major driver of 
the development of groundwater abstraction in the Nile Delta, as well as reduction in 
water supply (especially for tail-end users in the canal system), and cases of 
conflicts (with farmers seeking independence from fellow farmers on the same 
mesqa).  
 
Intensity of groundwater use by farmers in the study area 
A survey was done to define the number and locations of farmer’s wells in the study 
area using a GPS Camera.  The total number of wells inventoried was about 1700 
wells for 40000 ha (canal command area). A density analysis using Kernel Method 
in ARCGIS was done to produce density map. The highest density of wells was 57 
wells per square kilometer. The branch canals feeding from El-Qased canal pass 
under the roads by pipes which cause water supply problems to these areas. 
Farmers interviewed after the road rely mainly on wells by a ratio of 70-100 % for 
irrigation in the summer season. These wells are in general only used intermittently 
and it is not always easy to assess the frequency of use by farmers. 
Pumping from a well requires more energy than pumping from waterways, and 
costs on average 2 to 3 times more than pumping from the canal, with irrigation 
durations around twice as long too.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Collective arrangements 
Social informal arrangements between farmers (those with wells and those without) 
ensure that most farmers can access groundwater. Most of the wells are shared 
between various farmers: this shows that individual needs are still limited and 
seldom justify individual investment in a well (although this latter case is growing). 
The possibility of a shared investment brings obvious economies of scale and 
allows for the dissemination of wells. With an average investment cost of €1300, a 
group of –say- over 10 farmers will have individual costs under €130 per person, 
which is seen as a worthwhile investment since this allows securing water supply to 
crops. Several mechanisms allowing occasional use of the well by farmers not 
originally part of the investment were also observed.  
  
Groundwater quality of surveyed wells 
Groundwater salinity is affected by a number of local variables such as, the 
distances between wells, the well depth, the intensity of use, soil type and infiltration 
rates. The North part of the studied area is affected by saltwater intrusion and no 
groundwater use was reported. The electrical conductivity (EC) in the wells,  
measured whenever possible, surprisingly showed substantial variability, with 
values between 485 and 2,836 μmhos. This large spatial variability contrasts with 
the neat salinity isolines usually exhibited in maps of groundwater salinity in the Nile 
delta.   
General specifications of the study area and surveyed wells  
photo, graph, table, chart… 
Drivers and intensity of groundwater use for irrigation in the study area:  
photo, graph, table, chart… 
Depth and Salinity of groundwater used in the study area  
0 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
1987 1994 1995 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2015 
Pump tractor tractor & pump 
Example of collective arrangements along a mesqa 
Wells characteristics and sources of Energy 
Locations of 
the wells 
surveyed 
Map of the Studied area 
Irrigation water 
use from the well 
in the summer 
season 
Drivers of using groundwater for irrigation  
Density of farmers irrigation wells in the studied area 
Irrigation water 
use from the well 
in the winter 
season 
Type of 
powering 
device 


Below the radar : the boom of groundwater use in the Nile Delta [poster]

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