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Cairo, Prague to Boost Water Cooperation

A fisherman uses his boat to collect plastic garbage from the Nile River in Giza, Egypt May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A fisherman uses his boat to collect plastic garbage from the Nile River in Giza, Egypt May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Cairo, Prague to Boost Water Cooperation

A fisherman uses his boat to collect plastic garbage from the Nile River in Giza, Egypt May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A fisherman uses his boat to collect plastic garbage from the Nile River in Giza, Egypt May 20, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilam has met the Czech ambassador to Egypt, Ivan Gokl, to discuss bilateral cooperation in water resources.

The Egyptian minister hailed the “constructive cooperation between Egypt and Czechia in the past years”, according to an Egyptian cabinet statement on Thursday.

He further affirmed the “country’s wish for this cooperation to continue and be reinforced in the coming period”.

For his part, the ambassador noted that his country is keen to cooperate with Cairo in all fields, including water resources.

Egypt suffers a deficit in water resources with an estimated need of 114 billion cubic meters, while the resources total 74 billion cubic meters, according to official data.

The Egyptian government seeks to diversify water resources through seawater desalination and consumption rationalization to fight the water scarcity risks.

The Egyptian minister and the Czech ambassador discussed the transfer of Czech expertise to the Egyptians in manufacturing pump units’ spare parts as well as the construction of a maintenance center to carry out urgent maintenance of the pump units in cooperation with the Czech side.

They also touched on the coordination in the research field through the National Water Research Center (affiliated with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation) and the Czech universities and research centers.

The aspects of coordination include water treatment, desalination, modern and smart irrigation, and studies to enhance the efficiency of pumps and cooling systems, in addition to the Czech offering training courses for the experts at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the National Water Research Center.

For his part, Sweilam showcased on Thursday his country’s efforts to put the water issue at the core of international climate action through the fifth edition of Cairo Water Week and COP27.

He further called on Czechia to support the Action on Water, Adaptation, and Resilience (AWARe) international initiative, which was launched by Egypt during COP27 in Sharm Sheikh.

Egypt relies on the Nile River in securing 97 percent of its water resources. The country’s annual share of the Nile River is 55.5 billion cubic meters.

There is an ongoing dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia because of the Renaissance Dam which Ethiopia built on the main tributary of the Nile River. Egypt fears that the GERD will have a negative impact on the country's water supply.

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Arab World

‘War Ruined Me’: Lebanon’s Farmers Mourn Lost Season

This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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‘War Ruined Me’: Lebanon’s Farmers Mourn Lost Season

This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
This photo shows burnt agricultural fields that were hit during Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, on October 30, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Lebanese farmer Abu Taleb briefly returned to his orchard last month to salvage an avocado harvest but ran away empty handed as soon as Israeli air raids began.

"The war broke out just before the first harvest season," said Abu Taleb, displaced from the village of Tayr Debba near the southern city Tyre.

"When I went back in mid-October, it was deserted... it was scary," said the father of two, who is now sheltering in Tripoli more than 160 kilometers to the north and asked to be identified by a pseudonym because of security concerns.

Abu Taleb said his harvesting attempt was interrupted by an Israeli raid on the neighboring town of Markaba.

He was forced back to Tripoli without the avocados he usually exports every year.

Agricultural regions in Lebanon have been caught in the crossfire since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah ramped up in October last year, a full-scale war breaking out on September 23.

The UN's agriculture agency, FAO, said more than 1,909 hectares of farmland in south Lebanon had been damaged or left unharvested between October last year and September 28.

The conflict has also displaced more than half a million people, including farmers who abandoned their crops just when they were ready to harvest.

Hani Saad had to abandon 120 hectares of farmland in the southern region of Nabatiyeh, which is rich in citrus and avocado plantations.

"If the ceasefire takes place within a month, I can save the harvest, otherwise, the whole season is ruined," said Saad who has been displaced to the coastal city of Jounieh, north of Beirut.

When an Israeli strike sparked a fire in one of Saad's orchards, he had to pay out of his own pocket for the fuel of the fire engine that extinguished the blaze.

His employees, meanwhile, have fled. Of 32 workers, 28 have left, mainly to neighboring Syria.

- 'Worst phase' -

Israeli strikes have put at least two land crossings with Syria out of service, blocking a key export route for produce and crops.

Airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon as insurance costs soar.

This has dealt a deadly blow to agricultural exports, most of which are destined for Gulf Arab states.

Fruit exporter Chadi Kaadan said exports to the Gulf have dropped by more than 50 percent.

The supply surplus in the local market has caused prices to plummet at home, he added.

"In the end, it is the farmer who loses," said Saad who used to earn $5,000 a day before the war started. Today, he barely manages $300.

While avocados can stay on the tree for months, they are starting to run out of water following Israeli strikes on irrigation channels, Saad said.

Citrus fruits and cherimoyas have already started to fall.

"The war has ruined me. I spend my time in front of the TV waiting for a ceasefire so I can return to my livelihood," Saad told AFP.

Gaby Hage, a resident of the Christian town of Rmeish, on the border with Israel, is one of the few farmers who decided to stay in south Lebanon.

He has only been able to harvest 100 of his 350 olive trees, which were left untended for a year because of cross-border strikes.

"I took advantage of a slight lull in the fighting to pick what I could," he told AFP.

Hage said agriculture was a lifeline for the inhabitants of his town, which has been cut off by the war.

Ibrahim Tarchichi, president of the farmers' union in the Bekaa Valley, which was hit hard by the strikes, believes that agriculture in Lebanon is going through the "worst phase" of its recent history.

"I have experienced four wars, it has never been this serious," he said.