Abstract
Dakhla Oasis is the most highly populated oasis in Egypt. Although the groundwater resource is very large, there is essentially no rainfall and the aquifer from which the water is drawn is not recharged. Therefore, for the future development and sustainability of Dakhla Oasis, it is important to understand how land and water are used in the oasis and meteorological conditions there. In this study, meteorological and satellite data were used to examine the recent agricultural situation and water use. The results showed that the meteorological conditions are suitable for plant production, and the maximum vegetation index value was comparable to the Nile delta. The cultivated area increased between 2001 and 2019 by 13.8 km2 year−1, with most of the increase occurring after the 2011 revolution (21.2 km2 year−1). People living in Dakhla Oasis derive their income primarily from agricultural activity, which requires abundant water. Thus, the increasing demand for water is likely to put pressure on the groundwater resource and limit its sustainability.
Highlights
Agriculture in Egypt depends mainly on water from the Nile River
There are a number of oases that depend on fossil water
The authors in [9] found that the interviewed farmers preferred to grow wheat or clover hay rather than date palms in government well districts because of the large amount of water required for date palm cultivation
Summary
Agriculture in Egypt depends mainly on water from the Nile River. Since the 1990s, the Egyptian government has embarked on various national settlement and agricultural development projects in the western Egyptian desert, such as the Toshka, East Oweinat, and ongoing 1.5 Million Feddan projects since 2015, inaugurated by President Sisi in preparation for expected future population growth [3,4]. There are a number of oases that depend on fossil water (artesian groundwater). As a response to overpopulation in the delta, including in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, and along the Nile River, the New Valley Project was initiated in 1959 by the Egyptian government to exploit abundant fossil water resources and encourage emigration from overpopulated areas [1]. Failures in water management (over-irrigation and salinization, in particular) have reportedly resulted in the abandonment of many reclaimed lands [1]
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