Egypt turns to space agency to help tackle water scarcity

The effects of climate change, population pressures and a regional struggle which has seen vast water resources diverted from the Nile to a dam in Ethiopia have all left Egypt rapidly approaching a state of severe water scarcity.

National authorities are now hoping to put advanced technology to work to help avert a crisis, by bringing in its space agency to revolutionize the study and sustainable management of water resources.

A cooperation agreement between the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences and the National Water Research Center was announced on Tuesday to spearhead these efforts.

Under the deal, the agencies will join forces to develop innovative solutions for water management, including smart systems aided by aerial and ground sensors, advanced imaging and Internet of Things technologies.

UAE leaders kick off MBZ water scarcity initiative with $119 million XPRIZE competition

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed introduced the country’s new international water initiative and launched the $119 million XPRIZE competition to spur development of desalination technology.

In an event that took place on Thursday night at the site of Abu Dhabi’s historic Naqa Bin Ateej reservoir, Sheikh Abdullah outlined the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, which he chairs, saying it will seek to stimulate international investment in innovative ways to address the drying up of water resources.

“The solutions that currently exist to address the water scarcity crisis are not sufficient to prevent a range of unacceptable scenarios from occurring,” he said. The UAE initiative “is committed to collaborating with stakeholders from around the world to uncover these new ideas, to prove their viability, and to bring them to fruition as efficiently as possible.”

Among the initiative’s board members are Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the UAE Executive Affairs Authority and Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Co., and hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates. Also, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi and Minister of Climate Change and the Environment Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, according to a press release.

The Culver City, Calif.-based XPRIZE Foundation sponsors competitions around the world to encourage “radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity” in technological development. The $119 million prize pool for the five-year desalination project is the foundation’s biggest to date.

“XPRIZE Water Scarcity is a global call to scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs to convert water scarcity into water abundance by using converging exponential technologies to address this critical global need,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, XPRIZE’S Founder and Executive Chairman of the foundation. He said the competion is focused on “creating new desalination solutions to unlock Earth’s ocean water to clean water for all, in an equitable and sustainable fashion.”