Optimal Exploitation Strategies of Sustainable Utilization of Egypt's Fossil Groundwater Reserves

Abstract

Groundwater-dependent areas in Egypt are being reclaimed as a result of the impending food crisis. Thus, the national project for land reclamation aims to turn vast tracts of desert land into productive agricultural land. Even while this kind of rural development is desperately needed, relying solely on fossil groundwater sources is a dangerous course of action. Therefore, it is crucial to use these groundwater resources quite carefully. Selecting a safe pumping schedule to prevent aquifer depletion and/or seawater intrusion is just one of the goals. However, using groundwater simulation models based on optimal approaches would introduce exploitation plans that, at the same time, guarantee the aquifers' sufficiency for continued development and maximize the agricultural investment. Thus, a groundwater flow model was generated using the FEFLOW software to explore the Moghra aquifer’s potential for extensive rural development. The maximum pumping regime that coincides with the regulation rule that was set by the MWRI for the next 100 years has been concluded. There is a potential for sustainable exploitation of this water resource to irrigate a total area of 85,715 acres (34,687 ha). The resulting drawdown is expected to reach 95.4 m. Furthermore, a few mitigating techniques are suggested as efficient ways to stop or impede the saltwater intrusion, such as the installation of subterranean barriers and brackish water scavenger wells. Without a doubt, the intended findings would serve as the foundation for wise local water management choices that might strike a balance between the socioeconomic welfare of our nation and environmental preservation. The outcomes of the project can be used by decision making and stakeholder to achieve sustainable water resources management in the new lands for reclamation projects in the northwestern of Nile Delta, Egypt.