Egypt Launches Nile Drone Monitoring Programme

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has launched the first phase of a training programme to deploy drone technology across Egypt’s national water system. The initiative forms part of a broader shift to adopt modern tools and digital transformation for smart water management, with a focus on improving monitoring, evaluation and decision-making capacity among engineering and technical teams. Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam outlined the programme’s objectives and scope, emphasising safe and responsible operations within the ministry’s framework for technology-enabled water governance. Drone operations will be used to detect encroachments on the River Nile and other waterways to keep channels clear, monitor the spread of weeds and water hyacinth, inspect the structural integrity of water facilities, and track shoreline changes to identify areas susceptible to erosion. The platform will also support the monitoring of flood protection structures, assessment of water quality, smart irrigation applications, and identification of crop patterns. Data collected by the drones will be processed into high-resolution digital maps and models to enable data-driven decisions and support the optimal use of water resources in line with Egypt’s 2050 Water Resources Strategy.