This IWRM Plan is a sectoral nationwide document developed to be a complementary, action-oriented, implementation framework to the NWRP. This latter is a comprehensive document which describes how Egypt will safeguard its water resources, both with respect to quantity and quality, and how it will use these resources in the best way from a socioeconomic and environmental point of view. For this purpose, the IWRM provides for additional measures, which facilitate the transition towards an integrated management approach. The actions proposed to fulfill the transition towards integrated water resources management are prioritized and scheduled according to short (2005 - 2008), medium (2008 - 2013) and long term (2013 - 2020) implementation. These actions fall under 11 major categories, as follows (i) Institutional Reform and Strengthening, to be the foundation and basic building block for integrated water resources management; (ii) Policies and Legislation, focusing on selected specific actions to support and apply the water policies; (iii) Physical Interventions for irrigation, drainage, groundwater management, and rural sanitation, (iv) Capacity Building for participatory water management at all levels of the system; (v) Technological and Information Systems between various stakeholders within the sector through the creation of interactive data basis and adoption of technologies for data analysis, design, modeling, prediction, planning, etc.; (vi) Water Quality for irrigation and drainage networks; (vii) Economic and Financial Framework envisaging a set of interventions within the context of financial sustainability; (viii) Research, divided into academic research and applied research, to be supported and expanded to cover environmental economics, socio-economics, financial sustainability, institutional effectiveness, and participatory management; (ix) Raising Awareness for IWRM among all sectors of society and government to lead to changes in management practices to reserve more value to water and its ethics, and more participation in preserving and efficiently utilizing the national water resources; (x) Monitoring and Evaluation of trends and approaches towards IWRM implementation; and (xi) Trans-boundary Cooperation to maintain a high level communication, coordination, and collaborative efforts within the regional context of the Nile riparian countries. To make agriculture more productive and sustainable, the Plan proposes (i) the establishment of bodies at national and local level, such as a National Water Council and IWM Districts, to supervise and implement all activities within the water sector in an integrated manner; (ii) integrated irrigation improvement; (iii) irrigation and drainage rehabilitation and modernization works; (iv) on-farm water management improvements; (v) improved quality of water in irrigation drains and in irrigation canals; (vi) better control and more equitable water allocations; (vii) irrigation network data covered by an IWRM Information Center; (viii) enhanced water quality in irrigation and drainage networks to reduce pollution rate; (ix) reuse of agricultural drainage water as a strategic alternative to augment water supplies and enhance overall irrigation efficiency, (x) reduce exploitation of the groundwater reserves replacing groundwater with surface water for the irrigation system. In order to enable more effective and inclusive agriculture and food systems, the proposed model envisages users involved at all the operational levels of the structure, including the Water User’s Associations, Branch Canal Water Boards, and the federation of Water Boards at directive level. The participation is based on partial or full Irrigation Management Transfer operation according to the capability of each organization. Furthermore, users and stakeholders will promote participation of the private sector in financing, developing and operating the system, especially at the local level.
مصر · 2005-06-01