The Nile

Map of Egypt: Wikimedia Commons via IRIN

The main source of water for Egypt's 80 million population is the river Nile, so it is good news for them that the quality of the water in the river has improved recently by 16%.

• The concentrations of organic matter decreased.


• Dissolved salts decreased.


• Phosphate concentrations reduced.

Photo Flickr user archival. Creative Commons licence

The improvement is a result of efforts in:

• preventing industrial pollution (e.g. pesticides, organic material, heavy metals, ammonia, nitrate and phosphate)


• the encouragement of recycling of banana waste, produced in large amounts by agriculture, to make compost


• annual maintenance of the water hyacinth problem


• diverting treated sewage water from the river to irrigation of forests.

Photo of Aswan Dam: Wikimedia Commons via IRIN

In spite of the results of these efforts, officials feel more progress will be made if people are more environmentally aware and recognise that there is a problem.