80 mountain lakes in South Sinai: Egypt turns the threat of flash floods into a water source for Bedouin communities
Egypt is moving to turn flash floods, long a threat to mountain areas and communities in Sinai, into a source of water through a project to build mountain lakes in Wadi Feiran in South Sinai governorate. The project aims to collect rain and floodwater, reduce the danger it poses and provide a water supply that meets the household needs of Bedouin communities in the area.
According to Ahmed El Sadek, head of the groundwater sector at Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the project is still at the tendering stage and is expected to be completed within three years. The plan covers 80 mountain lakes in total: 50 identified in an earlier study and 30 more in works now being finalised. He said the collected water will not be piped over long distances but used in the areas around the lakes, where residents will transport it themselves, drawing on long experience of managing scarce water in the desert, and that a single lake can serve a large number of families.
Dr Abbas Sharaky, professor of geology and water resources at Cairo University, said Wadi Feiran is one of the largest valleys in Egypt, and that the country's flood paths run from the Red Sea mountains and the governorates of Upper Egypt to large parts of South Sinai overlooking the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba. He explained that mountain dams and lakes play a double role: protecting areas in the path of floods from inundation and storing water for residents. Part of the water may also seep underground and recharge aquifers, depending on the rock and soil.
Sharaky stressed the importance of continually clearing and improving flood channels so that water reaches its outlets without obstructions that multiply the damage. At the same time, he said such projects are local solutions that protect residents and make use of available resources, not a radical answer to Egypt's water crisis, which requires integrated resource management and more efficient use.
Al Majlis Analysis: The project is a practical example of a simple but important idea for dry regions: water that arrives suddenly and causes damage can, with planning, become a store that serves people all year round. Its value lies in being small in scale and close to its users, so it does not need expensive transmission networks and it relies on local knowledge of the terrain. The approach is worth watching in the Gulf too, where mountain areas see heavy but irregular rain and countries already invest in dams and rainwater harvesting to recharge groundwater. Success will depend on regular maintenance and clearing of flood channels, though; otherwise the lakes themselves could become a weak point.