Optimization-Based Proposed Solution for Water Shortage Problems: A Case Study in the Ismailia Canal, East Nile Delta, Egypt

Water conflicts in transboundary watersheds are significantly exacerbated by insufficient freshwater sources and high water demands. Due to its increasing population and various development projects, as well as current and potential water shortages, Egypt is one of the most populated and impacted countries in Africa and the Middle East in terms of water scarcity. With good future planning, modeling will help to solve water scarcity problems in the Ismailia canal, which is one of the most significant branches of the Nile River. Many previous studies of the Nile river basin depended on quality modeling and hydro-economic models which had policy or system control constraints. To overcome this deficit position and number, the East Nile Delta area was investigated using LINDO (linear interactive, and discrete optimizer) software; a mathematical model with physical constraints (mass balances); and ArcGIS software for canals and water demands from the agriculture sector, which is expected to face a water shortage. Using the total capital (Ismailia canal, groundwater, and water reuse) and total demand for water from different industries, the software measures the shortage area and redistributes the water according to demand node preferences (irrigation, domestic, and industrial water demands). At the irrigation network’s end, a water deficit of 789.81 MCM/year was estimated at Al-Salhiya, Ismailia, El Qantara West, Fayed, and Port Said. The model was then run through three scenarios: (1) the Ismailia Canal Lining’s effect, (2) surface water’s impact, and (3) groundwater’s impact. Water scarcity was proportional to lining four sections at a length of 61.0 km, which is considered to be optimal—based on the simulation which predicts that the Ismailia canal head flow will rise by 15%, according to scenarios—and the most effective way to reduce water scarcity in the face of climate change and limited resources as a result of the increasing population and built-in industrial projects in Egypt.

Assessing the Impact of Lining Polluted Streams on Groundwater Quality: A Case Study of the Eastern Nile Delta Aquifer, Egypt

Groundwater is considered to be an important water supply for domestics, industry, and irrigation in many areas of the world. Renewable groundwater is recharged by rainfall and seepage from canals and open drain networks. Agricultural and industrial drainage, as well as domestic drainage, represent the main discharges into open drains. Therefore, these drains are considered to be a source of recharge as well as a source of pollution. In this study, we aim to evaluate the impact of the Bahr El Baqar drain system on groundwater quality in the Eastern Nile Delta, Egypt. MODFLOW was used to create a numerical model to simulate groundwater flow in an aquifer and MT3DS was used to simulate solute transport from the open contaminated Bahr El Baqar drain to the groundwater. Two approaches were developed in the study area. The first approach was applied to investigate the impact of increasing the abstraction rates on the contaminant transport into the aquifer, the second approach was developed to identify the effect of lining the drain using different materials on contaminant extension in the aquifer to protect groundwater quality in the east Nile Delta Aquifer. The results showed that the TDS values increased by 18.23%, 23.29%, and 19.24% with increased abstraction rates of 15%, 34%, and 70%, resulting from population increases in 2010, 2025, and 2040, respectively; however, the TDS in the aquifer decreased from 0.6%, to 6.36%, 88.35%, and 90.47% by using lining materials.