The "Green River," as its designers have dubbed it, is intended to serve as a decorative ribbon running through Egypt's New Administrative Capital once it is completed. A computer-generated image depicts the "river" winding its way along the length of the New Capital, also called the National Capital Region. This site is in the middle of a desert, far from any natural sources of water, but the Egyptian prime minister showed off a fancy film depicting lush riverbanks lined with trees and occupying enormous vistas of greenery five years ago. Egyptian authorities have often raised alarms about the country's water woes, but it is unknown where the massive volumes of water needed for the project would come from.
According to United Nations criteria, the country entered "water poverty" in May, as reported by the Minister of Local Development. The minister said that the country's yearly water supply has fallen to below 1,000 cubic metres per capita, which is the threshold at which the UN classifies a country as "water scarcity." And just last month, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared that the country's water supplies could no longer fulfil the needs of the rapidly rising population, despite the fact that his government is taking smart initiatives to conserve equal water supply. The New Capital's Green River project is an artificial body of water designed to look like the Nile. Egypt claims it will have "the greatest park in the world," spanning 10 kilometres, and its massive system of lakes, canals, and gardens connecting the New Capital's many neighbourhoods will stretch 35 kilometres in length. As reported by official state media in 2019, the initial phase is expected to cost around $500 million.
State media reports that the first of two enormous artificial lakes planned for the project has already been constructed. While the government is busy launching its opulent project, the typical farmer is scrambling to obtain enough water to keep his or her modest plots of land alive. Egypt's government claims to have several programmes in place to reduce water waste and increase efficiency. In the words of President al-Sisi, water scarcity is "a question of national security" for Egypt and hence must be addressed during the COP27 session. The New Administrative Capital, a symbol of the legacy he hopes to leave behind, stands accused of wasting the very resource he is fighting to preserve.
