Egypt builds 'New Nile': $15 billion project aims to green the desert

Egypt has initiated one of its most ambitious infrastructure projects, the "New Delta," a $15 billion endeavor aimed at transforming vast swathes of the western desert into arable land. This massive undertaking involves constructing a roughly 170-kilometer artificial canal system designed to transport water to the country's western regions, significantly expanding Egypt's agricultural capacity.

The project, officially named the New Delta Project, seeks to increase agricultural output, enhance water and food security, and reduce Egypt's reliance on imports. While often referred to as the "New Nile," it is not a natural river but a complex network of artificial canals, pumping stations, and pipelines. The system is designed to irrigate approximately 9,000 square kilometers of land, a substantial increase in the nation's cultivable area.

A major engineering challenge was lifting water nearly 100 meters above sea level to reach the desert plateaus. To achieve this, 13 large pumping stations were built. To mitigate water loss through evaporation in the high temperatures, a portion of the water is transported through large underground pipelines. A key component is the El Hamam facility, considered the world's largest water treatment plant, with a capacity of 7.5 million cubic meters per day, crucial for purifying and preparing water for irrigation.

Contrary to the "New Nile" moniker, the primary water sources are not from the Nile River itself. Egypt relies on treated agricultural drainage water, which is reused, and underground water from deep desert aquifers. While water reuse maximizes existing resources, the dependence on "fossil aquifers", underground water reserves formed over thousands of years and practically non-renewable, raises significant concerns among experts. They warn that over-extraction could jeopardize the project's long-term viability, making large-scale irrigation increasingly difficult if these reserves are depleted.