Partner 5. Research Institute For Groundwater (RIGW), Egypt

The Research Institute for Groundwater (RIGW) is one of the twelve institutes of the National Water Research Center (NWRC) of the Egyptian Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources (MPWWR). The RIGW is the official institution responsible for groundwater planning and management in Egypt. The mission of the Research Institute for Groundwater is to carry out research to support groundwater development  and management plans, in the framework of the overall integrated water resources development/management, aiming at increasing the contribution of groundwater in the water and food security programs for the growing population of Egypt.

The main research projects are oriented to support decision makers (Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources). Other research projects are directed towards specific clients, international and national institutions/organizations and individual beneficiaries.

A total of about 60 civil engineers, Petroleum & Chemical Engineers, Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, Geologists & Chemists, and Soil & Water Scientists work full time at RIGW (13 of them hold Ph.D. degrees), plus a total of about 150 technicians.

Leader of the RIGW team will be Dr. Fatma Attia, appointed Director of the Research Institute for Groundwater (RIGW). The total attracted funding for the fiscal year 1996-1997 for all activities (excluding salaries and premises) is about 22 million Egyptian pounds; and is expected to increase during the coming years as a result of more dependence on groundwater in the framework of integrated water management policies.

Dr. Nahed E. El arabi, associate Professor in Groundwater Hydrology ,will also participate to the project.. She joined the research institute for groundwater since 1978 and now she is working as the head of Nile Basin Research Department. She has carried out several studies on the field of groundwater hydrology. The following are some of selected publications:

-          "Vertical Drainage Via Tube Well System" Journal of Engineering and Applied Science, Vol. 42, No.3, June 1995, PP.523-536, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.

-          "Environmental Impacts of Sewage Water Irrigation on Groundwater" Presented in 16th Congress on Irrigation and Drainage ICID, Proceeding of Workshop on Managing Environmental Changes due to Irrigation and Drainage pp.102 -114, 15-20 Sep. 1996.

-          "Use of Solute Chemistry and Isotopes to Identify Sources of Groundwater Recharge in The Nile Aquifer System- Upper Egypt" Groundwater Journal, Vol.(35), No.(2), March-April 1997, pp. 223-228.

-          "Environmental Impact of New Settlements in Egypt", International Asof Hydrogeologists XXVII Congress on "Groundwater in The Urban Environment", September 21-27, 1997, Nottingham, United Kingdom.

-          “Environmental Monitoring of Groundwater in Egypt”, Conference on Coping with Water Scarcity, Hrghada, August 28-28, 1998, Egypt.