Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt
The Nile Delta of Egypt is known for its large irrigated area supplied with water diverted from the Nile River, with a limited use of groundwater, largely for domestic and industrial use. Official statistics for the whole delta indicate that there are a few thousand individual wells used for agricul...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Springer
2017
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/83361 |
| _version_ | 1855538353734156288 |
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| author | El-Agha, Doaa E. Closas, Alvar Molle, Francois |
| author_browse | Closas, Alvar El-Agha, Doaa E. Molle, Francois |
| author_facet | El-Agha, Doaa E. Closas, Alvar Molle, Francois |
| author_sort | El-Agha, Doaa E. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | The Nile Delta of Egypt is known for its large irrigated area supplied with water diverted from the Nile River, with a limited use of groundwater, largely for domestic and industrial use. Official statistics for the whole delta indicate that there are a few thousand individual wells used for agriculture by a population of over 2 million farmers. This study, however, shows that a phenomenon of groundwater development for irrigation has been unfolding over the last few years, largely below the radar of managers and researchers. A survey was carried out in the central part of the delta with the objective of (1) uncovering the actual situation of groundwater use in this part of the delta and (2) speculating on its implications. The results of the survey pointed to a recent and booming tube-well drilling industry, with well densities in some parts reaching one well every 2 ha. The development of groundwater abstraction in the central delta is strongly linked to inadequate and/or untimely availability of surface water in the canals. A technical, economic, and management characterization of wells complements the study, showing a continuum between purely private/individual ownership of wells and collective investments and management. Lastly, the article explores the implications of unchecked abstraction at the farm, local and delta scales. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace83361 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publisher | Springer |
| publisherStr | Springer |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace833612025-03-11T09:50:20Z Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt El-Agha, Doaa E. Closas, Alvar Molle, Francois groundwater legislation socioeconomic environment groundwater development water use domestic water industrial uses radar deltas water drilling wells irrigated land farmers surface water aquifers economic aspects spatial distribution salinity The Nile Delta of Egypt is known for its large irrigated area supplied with water diverted from the Nile River, with a limited use of groundwater, largely for domestic and industrial use. Official statistics for the whole delta indicate that there are a few thousand individual wells used for agriculture by a population of over 2 million farmers. This study, however, shows that a phenomenon of groundwater development for irrigation has been unfolding over the last few years, largely below the radar of managers and researchers. A survey was carried out in the central part of the delta with the objective of (1) uncovering the actual situation of groundwater use in this part of the delta and (2) speculating on its implications. The results of the survey pointed to a recent and booming tube-well drilling industry, with well densities in some parts reaching one well every 2 ha. The development of groundwater abstraction in the central delta is strongly linked to inadequate and/or untimely availability of surface water in the canals. A technical, economic, and management characterization of wells complements the study, showing a continuum between purely private/individual ownership of wells and collective investments and management. Lastly, the article explores the implications of unchecked abstraction at the farm, local and delta scales. 2017-09 2017-09-08T05:05:39Z 2017-09-08T05:05:39Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/83361 en Open Access Springer El-Agha, Doaa E.; Closas, Alvar; Molle, Francois. 2017. Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt. Hydrogeology Journal, 11p. (Online first) doi: 10.1007/s10040-017-1570-8 |
| spellingShingle | groundwater legislation socioeconomic environment groundwater development water use domestic water industrial uses radar deltas water drilling wells irrigated land farmers surface water aquifers economic aspects spatial distribution salinity El-Agha, Doaa E. Closas, Alvar Molle, Francois Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt |
| title | Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt |
| title_full | Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt |
| title_fullStr | Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt |
| title_full_unstemmed | Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt |
| title_short | Below the radar: the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the Nile Delta in Egypt |
| title_sort | below the radar the boom of groundwater use in the central part of the nile delta in egypt |
| topic | groundwater legislation socioeconomic environment groundwater development water use domestic water industrial uses radar deltas water drilling wells irrigated land farmers surface water aquifers economic aspects spatial distribution salinity |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/83361 |
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