The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation launched a campaign to monitor and remove violations on the Nile River before the start of the third-stage filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir,

Egypt derives 90 percent of its water needs, or 55.5 billion cubic meters, from the Nile.

Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Aty ordered affiliate state agencies to be fully prepared during the Eid al-Fitr holiday that started on Monday and that coincided with the peak need for water.

He urged the agencies to maintain their efforts in combating all forms of violations along the Nile, said a Ministry statement.

Violations were detected along the Nile in Cairo, Sohag, Damietta and Minya.

The removal of the violations aims to achieve good management, operation, and maintenance of the water system to ensure that water needs are met, the ministry added.

It also sends a messages to everyone who deigns to commit violations along waterways and irrigation fields.

Around 56,000 violations across 8.2 million square meters of area along the Nile have been removed in coordination with the state agencies.

Egypt suffers from water shortages as it manages to supply 74 billion out of the 114 billion cubic meters it needs to meet local demand.

Meanwhile, Addis Ababa is expected to start the third phase of filling the GERD's reservoir during the rainy season in July, which only compound the shortage.