EGYPT: Water challenges forcing a rethink on usage | Egypt | Early Warning | Economy | Environment | Food Security | Natural Disasters | Water & Sanitation
►http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93997
According to a 2007 research paper by Fathi Farag, an independent water expert (link in Arabic), Egypt loses two billion cubic metres of water to evaporation, and three billion cubic metres to grass growing on the banks of the Nile and on river islands.
Around 40 percent of the remaining water - used domestically and in industry (2.3 billion cubic metres) - is lost to leaking pipes and drains, while 2.5 billion cubic metres are used to generate electricity, the paper says.
“If you calculate all this amount of lost water, you will discover that Egyptians are left with a fraction of what their country receives every year from the Nile,” Farag told IRIN. “This can also show why we should start to worry.”