Egypt: Study says quality of Nile water has improved

A study has indicated that water quality in the River Nile improved considerably in the months of October and November 2007, giving rise to hopes that drinking water quality for many of Egypt's 80 million people may improve.

The quality of Nile water in its main course and in the Rosetta (Rashid) and Damietta (Dimyat) branches showed a 16 percent improvement over the average during the excess discharge period (in October and November when excess water in Lake Nasr behind the Aswan High Dam is discharged into the river), according to a recent study by Egypt's Nile Research Institute (NRI) which is part the National Water Research Centre (NWRC).

According to the NRI study, the concentration of organic material decreased 15-69 percent in the main course of the river, dissolved salts decreased 1.5-2.0 percent, while phosphate concentration decreased 14 percent. The total water quality improved by an average of 14 percent in the main course, 9 percent in the Damietta branch and 15 percent in the Rosetta branch.

Despite all these efforts, officials believe environmental awareness is more important in solving environmental problems in Egypt.