Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt is living with a per capita water share of just 500 cubic meters per year, less than half the internationally recognized water poverty threshold, according to an official report, underscoring the scale of water scarcity facing the country despite the vast volumes of rainfall across the Southern Nile Basin.
The report reveals that Nile Basin countries collectively receive around 7 trillion cubic meters of rainfall annually across their 11 states. Of this total, approximately 1.6 trillion cubic meters fall within the Nile’s geographical basin. Yet only about 55.5 billion cubic meters ultimately reach Egypt, highlighting a stark imbalance between regional water abundance and downstream availability.
Ethiopia alone receives more than 900 billion cubic meters of rainfall each year, making it the primary source of Nile floodwaters. By contrast, Egypt is among the least rain-fed countries in the basin, with average annual rainfall ranging between 15 and 22 millimeters, equivalent to just 1.3 to 1.8 billion cubic meters of usable water.
According to the report, Nile inflows at Aswan during the 2024–2025 period depended mainly on two sources. The Ethiopian Highlands, represented by the Blue Nile, Atbara, and Sobat rivers, contributed about 85 percent of total flows and are responsible for the seasonal flood between July and October. The Equatorial Lakes Plateau, represented by the White Nile, contributed the remaining 15 percent and is characterized by a more stable year-round flow.
Ethiopia’s central role extends beyond the Nile itself. The country contains 12 river basins, though the Nile Basin is the most internationally significant. The Blue Nile (Abay) alone contributes between 50 and 55 billion cubic meters annually to the Nile’s total flow, while the Atbara (Tekeze) and Sobat (Baro-Akobo) rivers each add around 12 billion cubic meters.
The report notes that 2024 saw above-average rainfall across parts of the Equatorial Lakes region, including Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, leading to record-high water levels in Lake Victoria. In Sudan, exceptionally high discharges were recorded in October 2025, with daily flows reaching about 730 million cubic meters at the Merowe Dam and 688 million cubic meters at the Sennar Dam, increasing flood risks along parts of the river.
Despite these massive volumes, Egypt and Sudan together receive no more than 5 percent of total rainfall falling across the Nile Basin. The remaining 95 percent is lost to evaporation, dense vegetation, infiltration, and wetlands, most notably the Sudd swamps in South Sudan.
The report describes Ethiopia as the “water tower” of East Africa, receiving an estimated 936 billion cubic meters of rainfall annually. However, it notes that most of this water is used for rain-fed agriculture, evaporates, or flows through international rivers, with only a limited portion effectively stored or utilized domestically behind dams.
These hydrological realities have pushed Egypt toward what officials describe as a policy of “scarcity management.” With per capita water availability now at around 500 cubic meters annually, well below the 1,000-cubic-meter water poverty line, Egypt has increasingly turned to non-traditional water sources to bridge the gap.
Among the measures highlighted in the report are large-scale agricultural drainage water reuse projects, including the Bahr El-Baqar and Al-Hammam treatment plants, designed to recycle wastewater for agricultural use. The state has also accelerated canal lining projects to reduce seepage losses and expanded seawater desalination to reduce reliance on Nile water in coastal cities.
Experts say the findings underscore the structural nature of Egypt’s water challenge, driven not only by climate variability and upstream hydrology, but also by population growth and regional water governance dynamics. As pressures intensify across the Nile Basin, the report suggests that Egypt’s long-term water security will increasingly depend on efficiency, reuse, and technological solutions rather than additional natural inflows alone.
