Tycoon Salah Diab Outlines Bold Strategy to Solve Egypt's Water Crisis Through Modern Irrigation

Prominent Egyptian business tycoon and founder of Al-Masry Al-Youm, Salah Diab, has called for a nationwide transition from traditional flood irrigation to modern drip systems to address Egypt's worsening water crisis. Speaking on Al Arabiya’s “First Class” show hosted by Fatima Al-Daawi, Diab highlighted that traditional methods consume up to 10 times more water than advanced techniques while offering much lower efficiency.

Sharing a practical example, Diab noted that one of his farms at the tail end of an irrigation canal previously struggled with severe water shortages when trying to cultivate 16 feddans of bananas. After shifting to drip irrigation, the farm successfully expanded its cultivation to 260 feddans while simultaneously cutting fertilizer use and pump fuel consumption by 90 percent.

Diab proposed introducing modern irrigation systems to two governorates annually, estimating that a comprehensive national rollout could save enough water to dramatically increase Egypt's cultivated land from 10 million feddans to 100 million feddans.

The agricultural sector and national water strategy are increasingly focusing on moving away from flood irrigation. This modernization drive aims to cut farm water consumption by up to 90%, boost crop yields, and reduce operational costs. Complementary structural interventions include national canal-lining projects under Hayah Karima to prevent seepage, alongside stricter regulations on water-intensive crops like rice, sugarcane, and bananas to protect Egypt's fixed 55.5 billion cubic meter Nile quota.

Meanwhile, urban infrastructure developments have faced significant public backlash. Street-widening projects along Gamaat al-Dowal al-Arabiya Street and corridors in Zamalek, Dokki, and Heliopolis resulted in the removal of historic trees, worsening urban heat-island effects and reducing green space per capita.

In response to public outcry, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Cabinet intervened with new policy directives. These measures include converting vacant urban parcels into public parks, mandating compensatory planting of double the removed trees using drought-tolerant species watered by treated wastewater, and fully integrating urban afforestation into national water management and the “100 Million Trees” initiative.