The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said in a statement on Tuesday that it is currently implementing several measures to develop the irrigation and drainage system in Siwa Oasis.
The aim of this is to develop radical solutions to the problem of increased salinity in the water of the cracked limestone reservoir as a result of the random drilling of wells.
The statement was released as a response to several comments on social media regarding the low water levels in the oasis’ Fatnas Lake, with the ministry assuring that the measures being taken to preserve the lake have caused the temporary decline in its water.
Furthermore, the measures aim to solve the problem of the increase in agricultural wastewater, which has led to a rise in the level of ground water in the agricultural lands of the oasis, negatively affecting them and causing multiple problems over the past three decades.
Additionally, the ministry has started implementing a development plan for the oasis that includes building bridges, wells, and natural springs to maintain agricultural production in Siwa.
Deep wells are being dug to produce fresh water from the Nubian sandstone reservoir that can be mixed with water from surface wells. Also, many underground wells are being filled given that they were withdrawing water unfairly from the surface aquifer.
This has led to a decrease in the water levels in the ponds and drains, including the Fatnas area and the surroundings of the Tahazarti area, especially during the current period of the year, when the evaporation rate reaches its peak.
However, this has positively reflected on the lands adjacent to the pond, which were previously damaged and yielded a low amount of crops (palms and olives).
The water levels of Siwa’s lakes and ponds will soon gradually return with the advent of the autumn and winter seasons without the occurrence of water congestion, as was the case before the start of the implementation of these developments, the ministry concluded.
