don’t see is Egypt’s water crisis. The last rainfall here was
nearly three years ago, with the disastrous flash floods
of January 2010. July temperatures in Asalah average out
at 33°C, but 38°C is not uncommon and annual average
precipitation is 0mm. There is simply not enough of what
has been termed, in some circles, ‘blue gold’.
Confounding this problem, Egypt has now hit ‘zero
line’ for water, meaning its underground reserves are
dangerously low, and the future is even more worrying.
Under an agreement with eight of the other countries
along the Nile, Egypt is allowed to use 55 billion cubic
metres (bcm) of its total annual flow of around 84bcm. The
problem is that it will need 50% more of the Nile’s
water by 2050 to provide for an expected population of
around 150 million, according to the National Planning
Institute. Already, the Nile provides 97% of Egypt’s needs,
the remainder coming from groundwater (10bcm yearly),
recycled water 7 bcm) and rain water (0.5 bcm).
All of which explains why
WaterStillar is such a welcome
solution. “Before, it was expensive
bottles or salt water,” says Ahmed
Naeim, a villager. Now, WaterStillar
purifies filthy brackish water from a
nearby well to deliver “easy, cheap and
perfect drinking water for 30 people”.
The set-up here, which was arranged
by a local Bedouin businessman called Umburak Hemid
Sobeh, covers 15m
2
in total and is placed on a roof.
The system has also helped the locals prosper in other
ways. Although they live a nomadic lifestyle, many
secure an income from tourism, particularly as guides for
Westerners who want to visit the desert or sleep under the
stars. Before, they had to buy bottled water that was both
expensive and inconvenient to carry around to provide for
visitors and make tea.
Local market trader Tahnoon Al-Khoury says
WaterStillar meets the challenge of “removing saltiness
from tea and coffee, at a low cost, so we still profit.”
Higher-quality water is also used for food preparation.
It’s no surprise this type of solar-powered solution has
received the thumbs up from Dr Martin Mulenga, of the
International Institute for Environment and Development
(
IIED), which has called for groundwater to be included
more often in policies for integrated water resource
management. Mulenga believes governments “should take
steps to enable poor communities to use groundwater in a
safe and sustainable way.”
WaterStillar Egypt LLC was formed in 2009. At that
time, Juul Andersen, who is based in Sweden, sought the
expertise of Helmut Heller, a German-born businessman
living in Sharm el Sheikh to promote, sell and
enough for the daily requirements of a family. Further,
it’s solar powered, has no moving parts, and uses gravity
and thermodynamics to manage the flow of water, which
makes WaterStillar perfect for desert life. “It’s designed
to be low tech, local and durable,” says Juul Andersen, a
former telecoms product developer who came up with the
idea in 2003 while watching a weather report on TV.
Water is an ever-present
issue in Egypt. South Sinai
may be best known for its
piercing sunshine, sandy
beaches and clear sea, but the
stark reality most tourists
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