New Report Finds 78,000 Nile River Encroachments Since 2015

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has reported a total of 78,000 cases of encroachment on the Nile River since 2015, according to a new update submitted to Minister Hani Sweilem. The report comes as part of the ongoing ‘;Campaign to Save the Nile’, a national initiative aimed at curbing illegal construction and land reclamation along the river and its branches.

The current enforcement effort, known as Wave 25, resulted in the removal of 238 encroachments covering a combined area of 46,000 square metres. These removals were carried out across several governorates, including 29 cases in Assiut, 27 in Menoufia, 24 in Daqahlia, and 22 each in Gharbia and Beheira. Additional violations were addressed in Luxor, Sohag, Beni Suef, and other regions, with cleared areas ranging from a few hundred square metres to several thousand.

The campaign is being implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Interior and local authorities. It involves continuous monitoring of the river to identify new violations early. Minister Sweilem has directed Nile protection departments to conduct legal and technical assessments of all reported cases before taking further action.

Given Egypt’s dependence on the Nile for drinking water, agriculture, and transport, the government has treated the issue of encroachment as a national priority. Since the campaign began in 2015, it has operated in waves, removing unauthorised structures and restoring riverbanks across the country in an effort to preserve the river’s natural flow and ecological balance.