In November 2016, the German Science Centre in Cairo (DWZ) gathered water experts from Egypt and Germany to kick-start the Egyptian German Water Cluster, an issue-driven network meant to increase communication and cooperation, and give visibility to ongoing water research and to the scientists behind it.

By bringing together leading Egyptian and German water experts with a wide range of expertise, the cluster has created a one-stop-shop platform for experts and academic resources focusing on one of Egypt’s most pressing social, political, economic and environmental issues: Water. Egypt relies on the Nile river for 95% of its freshwater needs used for irrigation, drinking and industrial purposes, and the country’s fixed annual allocation of 55.5 billion cubic meters barely covers the needs of its rapidly growing population.

In the framework of the newly formed water cluster initiative, the German Science Centre (DWZ), in cooperation with varying partners such as the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater, the National Water Research Center and Misr El-Kheir, organizes regular workshops to address the challenges and solutions to this pressing issue. The workshops are a networking opportunity for Egyptian and German researchers focused on the same research questions and approaches within the field of water.

On25th September 2016, the first workshop was held at the DWZ premises under the title “Industrial Wastewater Management in Egypt”. More than 40 experts from Egypt and Germany gathered to give a clear outlook on current challenges in this sector and highlight the latest innovations. Best practice models and cutting edge research that Egyptian and German scientists engage in were presented, and their merits discussed during this one-day workshop. Please find the results on the Egyptian German Water Cluster’s website water.dwz-kairo.de.

On the next day 26th of September another workshop has followed under the title “The Potential of River Bank Filtration in Egypt” and took place at the National Water Research Centre’s headquarters in Qanater, overlooking the Nile delta barrages. The workshop discussed the technique called Riverbank Filtration (RBF) which has been used in Germany and other Western European countries for over a century to produce large quantities of freshwater supply. All participants; around 70 attending experts, listened to various discussions to assess the potential of RBF as a solution to increase freshwater availability in Egypt. Please find the results on the Egyptian Water Cluster’s website water.dwz-kairo.de.