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He led the move
towards on-farm water management in Egypt in 1977, a trend that was
barely considered at that time despite the water losses in Egypt
that exceeded 30%. He also founded the modern school of
multi-disciplinary approach in irrigation improvement projects,
including pioneer work conducted by an integrated team of irrigation
engineers, agronomists, sociologists and economists. Under his
leadership, the first National Water Management and Irrigation
Improvement Project in Egypt was launched, implemented in an area of
400,000 feddans. Subsequently, he supervised the development and
implementation of the second Irrigation Improvement Project covering
an area of 500,000 feddans based on the concept of integrated water
resources management.
Dr. Abu-Zeid was
instrumental in introducing the doctrine of integrated management by
large in Egypt. This formed the basis of the Water Resources
Strategy in 1998, which was translated under his supervision to
Egypt’s National Water Resources Plan till the year 2017. Such was
the first integrated water plan in Egypt set in full participation
between the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the
Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and
Land Reclamation and Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs.
While implementing
this policy, he adopted the principle of de-centralization and
participation of Water Users’ Associations for the first time in
Egypt, by virtue of which water boards on the farm level, as well as
on the branch and main canal and groundwater levels were formed.
Moreover, Dr. Abu-Zeid took the lead towards achieving institutional
reform in the water sector by establishing regional irrigation
authorities with de-centralized activities.
Dr. M. Abu-Zeid
also advocated the concept of virtual water to limit the exportation
of the water-affiliate crops such as rice and sugarcane that consume
about 25% of Egypt’s water resources.
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