Development a Framework for Assessment of Water Security in Egypt

Abstract

Water Security is very urgent for sustainable development in Egypt. Growing population needs more food production, water for drinking, hygiene, and to respond to economic activities which rely on access to more water.The objective of this paper is to develop an operational and applicable framework for assessment of water security index for Egypt.  The water security index for Egypt was calculated according to the methodology of the Asian Water Development Bank Outlook (AWDO) using 2020 data and it was found that the water security situation is below average and huge efforts are needed to enhance this indicator in order to meet the current water challenges. After applying AWDO methodology for assessment of water security and its five indicators, it was found that some of them are misleading and some are not applicable to Egypt. In this paper, a modification for the indicators will be proposed to be more relevant to Egypt and to be more practical. The modified framework and its new indicators have represented the situation in Egypt with the challenges of an arid and extremely variable climate. The modified water security index evaluation methodology is also used in light of the Egyptian local conditions in predicting the indicator Water security for 2030 based on the assumed expectations of three water shortage scenarios. These future scenarios helped draw a road map for the necessary measures needed to secure the water situation and thus economic growth.