Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is adopting advanced satellite and digital technologies to monitor water hyacinth and aquatic weed spread across the country's waterways, the Cabinet said in a statement on Thursday. The ministry reviewed a newly developed application based on the Google Earth Engine platform, which enables real-time analysis of satellite imagery through cloud computing systems, the report added. The application automatically identifies water channels using spectral indicators and classifies aquatic surfaces such as floating weeds, submerged weeds, and clear water using the Normalised Difference Aquatic Vegetation Index (NDAVI). Minister Hani Sewilam said the move is part of the ministry's shift towards adopting modern technologies under the Irrigation 2.0 framework. He noted that the growing shortage of field labour makes it crucial to rely on tools such as remote sensing and automated mapping to monitor weed proliferation and guide swift action. The technology allows for swift decision-making and helps limit the spread of invasive plants such as water hyacinth, while also enhancing transparency in measuring vegetation volumes and cleaning operations, the minister said. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
