Nile River levels have risen substantially due to heavy rain falling on the Ethiopian plateau. Egypt is considering precautions to deal with this rise. Water Ministry officials suggest to pump the extra water into the Toshka Canal or let it flow down the Nile valley into the sea, which would clean the polluted river to some extent. But much of the water would evaporate instead of serving Egyptians suffering from a shortage of water. Why doesn't the ministry consider pumping more water into the Nile tributaries and small canals so the villagers have enough water for irrigation as well as their daily needs? It is obvious that diverting the extra water to Toshka would facilitate the cultivation of more land. However, only big investors would benefit from this, to the detriment of small farmers, who still won't get enough water, suffer huge losses and debt. Lack of irrigation water will turn the most fertile land in Egypt into a barren desert. The period of unrest after the January 25 Revolution and lack of governmental control enabled factories and other commercial enterprises to dump more and more waste into the Nile. By suggesting that the extra water could clean the river, the government is actually admitting that the Nile is terribly polluted. It is high time to take tough measures; the culprits have to be held to account. The former minister of Water Resources, Mahmoud Abu Zeid, urged the officials in question to coordinate and exchange information with both Sudan and Ethiopia to follow the news on this year's flood, so they can get ready and make the best use of the extra water.
