Lecture 1
Lecture 1
Lecture 1
Groundwater in Egypt
Egypt lies in the northeastern corner of the African content, with a total area of
about 1 million km2. In 1998, cultivated land was estimated to be 4.5 % of the total
area.
Total population is about 68 million (1998) of which 56% is rural. Average
population density is 62 / km2, but ranges from 2/km2 over 96% of the total area, 1492
km2 in the Nile valley and delta this area, where population density is among the
highest in the world, is only 4% of the total area. Therefore the groundwater is the
sole source of water in 96% of Egypt territories.
The main issues facing Egypt's development include: (i) partial utilization of
the territories (less than 10%); (ii) unbalanced population distribution and continuous
immigration from rural to urban areas; (iii) decrease of per capita share in water and
agricultural land; and (iv) lack of proper water supply and sanitation in the rural and
desert areas.
This situation calls for the development of additional sources of water along
with the protection of developed ones.
The main source of fresh water in Egypt is the annual quota from the Nile,
however, is limited geographically mostly to the Nile valley and delta. Transfer of the
Nile water to other portions of the country is restricted by physical and economical
constraints. Other fresh water resources are represented in the deep groundwater,
mainly found in the deserts, and flash floods, restricted to wadis.
The global groundwater budget for the country estimated to be about 4 billion
cubic meters a year (9 million cubic meters from renewable aquifer and 3, 91 billion
from non-renewable or deep aquifers) Groundwater is characterized by its wide
Aquifers
An aquifer is a geologic unit that can store and transmit water. Aquifers are
generally categorized into four basic formation types depending on the geologic
environment in which they occur: unconfined, confined, leaky, and perched. Figure
(1-2) describes basic aquifer formations.
In order to qualify as aquifers, a soil stratum should not only have a
substantial percentage of pore spaces, but these pore spaces should be large enough so
that water can move through them towards a well rapidly enough. Thus clays, which
contain a large proportion of pores, are not classified as aquifers because the pores are
small in size and water cannot move readily through the same. On the other hand,
coarse materials like sands are good aquifers because the pore spaces in such soils are
large and water can move readily through the interstices. Impervious or almost
impervious strata through which water cannot travel appreciably are called
aquicludes. A relatively impermeable formation neither containing nor transmitting
water is called aquifuge; solid granite belongs in this category. Aquitard is a saturated
but poorly permeable stratum that impedes groundwater movement and does not yield
water freely to wells, but that may transmit appreciable water to or from adjacent
aquifers and, where sufficiently thick, may constitute an important groundwater
storage zone; sandy clay is an example.
Unconfined Aquifers
In these the upper limit of the aquifer is defined by the water table itself, or, in
other words, the stratum above the water table is unsaturated. The hydraulic pressure
at any point within such an aquifer is equal to the depth of the point from the water
table. If a well is drilled in such an aquifer, water in it will stand at the level of the
water table .such aquifers deliver water to a pumped well by gravity drainage from
within the pores.
Confined Aquifers or Artesian
The groundwater in these is not open to the atmosphere due to presence of an
upper confining layer. If a well is drilled in such a formation, water would generally
rise above the top level of the aquifer to the piezometric level and the height of water
would represent the pressure head in the aquifer. The water in such aquifers is in a
compressed state. In some artesian wells the pressure is so great that when a well is
drilled, water flows out without any pumping or rushes out in the form of a fountain.
Leaky Aquifers
In some locations the separating layers between the deep aquifers and the
shallow water table aquifer are not completely impermeable, with the result that draft
from such aquifers causes some lowering of the water table. Such aquifers are called
leaky confined aquifers.
Perched Water
Sometimes a quantity of groundwater is held above an impervious atrium, and
is not connected to the main water table. Such water table is called a perched water.
Not much water can be drawn from such an aquifer because the quantity of water
available is limited to the volume contained above the impervious stratum.
Connate water
It is sea water that occurs in some sedimentary formations below the water
table.