{"id":17762,"date":"2026-10-08T10:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T08:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=17762"},"modified":"2026-10-23T22:31:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T20:31:02","slug":"lake-qarun-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/lake-qarun-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"Lake Qarun: Saving the Fish Starts with Stopping the Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

For decades, Lake Qarun in Fayoum Governorate has suffered from environmental degradation caused by pollutants from agricultural drainage and sewage, and the pesticide residues, agricultural fertilisers and organic matter they carry, which have been directly reflected in the fish stocks that once represented a main source of livelihood for hundreds of families working in fishing.<\/p>\n

The testimonies of the researchers contained in this report describe a sharp decline in fish stocks and a far-reaching impact on those working in fishing. In this crisis, sources of pollution, salinity, parasites and illegal fishing overlap, alongside the closed lake’s dependence on being restocked with fry.<\/p>\n

Reading the figures on the decline in production requires identifying the starting point, the end point and the scope of the catch in each source. It is not permissible to combine a percentage decline over a short period with figures spanning four decades and then present them as a single official series. This report presents the testimony of Adel Ali Ahmed about previous production of about 4,500 tonnes as an estimate given in his interview, without converting it into a figure for a specific season that he did not name. Documenting the decline in production is no substitute for knowing the conditions of the families that lost their source of livelihood.<\/p>\n

According to a Reuters report<\/a> published in September 2022, fishing losses pushed some fishermen to move to other areas or to look for alternative work, while others converted their boats to trips for visitors. These are testimonies that reflect the impact of the crisis on livelihoods at that time, and not an updated count of the number of boats or fishermen.<\/p>\n

A study by researchers from Fayoum University and the National Water Research Center, published in the journal Water Science<\/a> on 17 March 2026, revealed microbial contamination and antibiotic resistance in samples of the lake’s water. But the samples were collected in January 2022 and July 2023; the results therefore do not represent a measurement of water quality in October 2026, nor a comprehensive test of whether the fish on the market are fit for consumption.<\/p>\n

Other research has also addressed heavy metals: a study published in 2025<\/a> recorded elevated levels of lead, nickel and cadmium in water samples compared with the limits it adopted for the protection of aquatic life, with results varying between sites. This reinforces the need to examine the type and location of the pollutant, without confusing water analysis with testing the edible tissue of fish.<\/p>\n

Lake Qarun is one of the most prominent natural and archaeological landmarks in Fayoum Governorate and one of the oldest natural lakes in the world. It lies in the Fayoum Depression, about 27 kilometres north of the city of Fayoum and about 80 kilometres southwest of Cairo, and sits about 43 to 45 metres below sea level.<\/p>\n

A report by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency<\/a> estimates the area of the lake at about 53,000 feddans and its average depth at about 4.2 metres. The lake is part of the Qarun Protected Area, which also includes areas of geological and archaeological value, and the area of the extensive protected area does not match the area of the water body alone.<\/p>\n

The published dimensions of the lake vary according to the date of measurement, the water level and the boundaries of the water surface that the source adopts. The approximate area therefore does not mean that the length of the shoreline or the depth is constant in all areas. This distinction is important when calculating pollutant loads, quantities of fry or dredging works, because decisions must be based on maps and field measurements of the area concerned, not on a general average for the lake alone.<\/p>\n

The lake receives drainage water through a network of drains, most notably El-Bats and El-Wadi. This water carries agricultural drainage and the sewage and other pollutants mixed with it, which makes stopping pollutants before they reach the lake a central pillar of any remedy.<\/p>\n

As a closed lake that is not connected to the sea, Qarun is affected by the accumulation of salts, evaporation and the nature of the water flowing into it. Salinity measurements must therefore be read in the context of the date and location of the sample, rather than treating an old figure as a fixed description of the entire lake today.<\/p>\n

In the same context, Professor Dr Omar Tammam, professor of natural protected areas and former head of the Institute of Environment, explains that over the past years Lake Qarun has suffered severe environmental degradation as a result of the accumulation of three main types of pollutants, namely sewage, industrial wastewater and agricultural drainage, which has harmed aquatic life and biodiversity in the lake.<\/p>\n

He explains that sewage has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, while industrial wastewater has caused the accumulation of heavy metals and numerous chemicals, and agricultural drainage has contributed to pesticides and chemical fertilisers reaching the lake’s water, which has been directly reflected in fish stocks.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Zawia3, Tammam warns of the risks that parasites, heavy metals and bacterial contamination pose to fish and to food safety. The evidence reviewed by the report does not allow a sweeping judgement that all the fish in the lake are unfit for consumption; that would require representative testing of the fish themselves, by species, fishing location and date.<\/p>\n

He recalls that Lake Qarun was an important national resource because of the nature of its water, which lies between fresh and salt water and made it suitable for shrimp and for fish that live in brackish water, but pollution led to a decline in fish numbers and a deterioration in the quality of those that remained. It was also an important habitat for migratory birds, including waders, insect-eaters and grain-eaters, species of duck and waterbirds, but their numbers declined as a result of pollution and the overhunting of migratory birds with shotguns and nets, and their sale, which represents a threat to biodiversity.<\/p>\n

Tammam points to the efforts made in recent years to rehabilitate the lake, with the participation of researchers from Cairo University, the General Authority for Fish Resources Development and Fayoum Governorate, with which signs of recovery began to appear, in the form of the return of wild birds and animals, the revival of fish and an increase in fish and shrimp farming, before the sources of pollution returned once again, sweeping away a large part of the results of these efforts.<\/p>\n

In this regard, the professor of natural protected areas stresses that tackling the Lake Qarun crisis cannot be limited to cleaning the water or stocking fish, but begins with controlling the sources of pollution and preventing them from reaching the lake. He notes that industrial wastewater is a dangerous source of pollution because of heavy metals and chemicals, while agricultural activity leads to pesticides and fertilisers leaking into the lake, and sewage from the surrounding population centres causes pollutants to seep into the soil and groundwater and then into the lake.<\/p>\n

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Protecting the lake begins with controlling the sources of pollution, not with merely cleaning the water or releasing fish.<\/p>\n

The essence of what Omar Tammam calls for in his interview with Zawia3.<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He believes that protecting the Qarun Protected Area requires moving sources of sewage and industrial wastewater away from the lake, controlling the activities around it and providing a safe drainage system. He stresses the need to close off the sources of pollution first and impose strict environmental controls on population centres, factories and agricultural land near the lake, and then to restock the lake with fish, diversify the farmed species and make use of species of high economic value, in order to achieve a sustainable recovery of the ecosystem.<\/p>\n

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How did fish production in the lake collapse?<\/h2>\n

Environmental pollution is one of the most prominent threats affecting the productive capacity of natural fisheries, along with overfishing and the lack in some lakes of the natural food that fish need to grow, factors that weaken the lakes’ capacity to keep producing, according to Dr Ashraf Shebl, professor of economics at the Faculty of Fish Resources at Suez University. He believes that dealing with the Lake Qarun crisis must begin with preventing the causes of pollution, whose continuation raises the cost of cleaning operations, and with the need to reconsider the facilities built on the shores of Lake Qarun and to assess their compatibility with the surrounding environment and their ability to preserve the lake’s sustainability.<\/p>\n

He reveals that Lake Qarun has lost a large part of its environmental, tourism and productive value as a result of pollution, noting that during one of his visits to the lake he observed algae spreading across the surface of the water, which he considered an indicator of the deterioration that had befallen the aquatic environment compared with what the lake used to be.<\/p>\n

Shebl explains that pollution of natural habitats weakens the chances of fish growth and stock renewal. In closed lakes such as Qarun, fish cannot be relied upon to move to the sea to escape unsuitable conditions; the deterioration of habitats therefore becomes a pressure on their survival and productivity.<\/p>\n

The professor of economics at the Faculty of Fish Resources stresses the need to reconsider the entire fishing system and to ensure that it is consistent with the productive and carrying capacity of the fishery and with the legal rules regulating fishing, warning that overfishing with equipment or methods that exceed the lake’s capacity to regenerate leads to the depletion of fish stocks and harms the aquatic environment.<\/p>\n

He explains that the problem facing Lake Qarun applies, to varying degrees, to a number of Egyptian lakes, which suffer from a lack of natural food, pollution and overfishing, factors that together affect the lakes’ ability to sustain fish production. He notes that the lack of natural food is one of the challenges that the relevant authorities are working to address by increasing food sources in the lakes, but continued pollution wastes these efforts and the operations to clean Lake Qarun.<\/p>\n

Shebl links salinity exceeding the limits suitable for the species present with a decline in their ability to survive, taking into account the effect of temperature and climate change on natural fisheries. He stresses that managing the lake requires monitoring these factors together.<\/p>\n

He believes that protecting Lake Qarun requires an integrated policy that does not focus on cleaning alone, but aims to prevent the sources of pollution, regulate the facilities and activities around the lake and control fishing in line with its productive capacity, while taking into account the effect of climate change on temperatures and salinity.<\/p>\n

Researcher and environmental lawyer Ahmed El-Saeedy, director of the Egyptian Foundation for Environmental Rights, agrees with him that pollution is one of the most prominent threats affecting the productive capacity of fisheries, along with overfishing and a number of other factors, and that dealing with the Lake Qarun crisis must not be limited to cleaning operations and the release of fish and shrimp fry, but must begin with preventing the sources of pollution and controlling their causes, in order to restore the lake’s environmental and productive function.<\/p>\n

El-Saeedy stresses the environmental and historical importance of the area, warning that water pollution affects the birds and organisms that depend on the ecosystem of the lake, which the Ministry of Environment includes within the Qarun Protected Area.<\/p>\n

He tells Zawia3: "The lake has existed for thousands of years, and therefore the current changes cannot be separated from the large increase in human pressures and sources of pollution. There is a link between the rise in Lake Qarun’s salinity and the imbalance in its chemical composition on the one hand and the increasing pollution on the other; the increase in population density and the rise in pollution rates are two new factors that have contributed to worsening the problem".<\/p>\n

He criticises the failure to make public the results of the periodic analyses carried out by the Ministries of Health, Environment and Irrigation to determine the composition of the water and the extent of its exposure to pollution. He argues that some of the laws regulating water sampling and the publication of analysis results date back decades, and that the standards contained in this legislation are no longer sufficient, in addition to the failure to comply with them and to apply the penalties they stipulate, which can extend to halting the activity.<\/p>\n

El-Saeedy also cites a legal opinion that he said was issued by the State Council concerning a project in the Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area, which rejected an activity harmful to wildlife and plant life despite reports submitted by companies on the benefits of fish farming. A copy of the legal opinion, or its date and number, was not available for independent verification; the citation therefore remains attributed to him, and is not a basis for establishing a ruling that must be applied to a specific project in Qarun. What he calls for is that the particular nature of protected areas be taken into account before activities are licensed within them.<\/p>\n

He believes it is necessary to oblige any entity that discharges into a watercourse to carry out the necessary treatment of its wastewater before discharging it, since industrial wastewater laden with chemicals is one of the most dangerous types of wastewater. He expresses his concern that some factories overlooking the lake discharge their waste without treatment, or that the treatment they carry out is not subject to sufficient periodic monitoring by the regulatory authorities, and calls for a focus on stopping the sources of pollution instead of merely trying to compensate for the losses in fish stocks.<\/p>\n

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Saving the lake begins before the drainage arrives<\/h2>\n

In recent years, the state began implementing a set of measures to improve the environmental situation of Lake Qarun, including expanding the construction of wastewater treatment plants as part of infrastructure projects and village development initiatives, as well as others financed or supported by international and European bodies.<\/p>\n

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development<\/a> states that the programme supported by the European Union and the European Investment Bank includes the construction and rehabilitation of 12 wastewater treatment plants and the purchase of 28 vacuum trucks to serve remote areas, with the aim of connecting more than 80% of rural Fayoum to safe sanitation services. These are components and targets of the programme, not an independent measurement of the results of environmental recovery in the lake.<\/p>\n

On 11 November 2023, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced an improvement in water quality and a decrease in salinity from 40,000 to 28,000 "units", as reported by the National Media Authority<\/a>. This reflects a government assessment announced on that date, and is not used here as a current measurement of the lake or as evidence that the sources of pollution have disappeared.<\/p>\n

But Dr Adel Ali Ahmed, professor of aquatic biology and former dean of the Institute of Marine Sciences, believes that dealing with Lake Qarun must start from regarding it as an integrated ecosystem, and not merely a body of water suffering from pollution or a shortage of fish, since treating the sources of drainage, cleaning polluted areas, curbing illegal fishing, rebuilding the food chain and using biological control are interconnected measures, and none of them can succeed in isolation from the other components of the lake’s environmental rehabilitation plan.<\/p>\n

He explains that Lake Qarun is a closed body of water that is not currently connected to the River Nile or the Mediterranean Sea. With the expansion of agricultural land in Fayoum, agricultural drainage water came to flow into the drains that empty into the lake, so that Qarun, in its current form, has become a reservoir for agricultural drainage water, which arrives through the El-Bats and El-Wadi drains, both of which pass through villages. For this reason, villages without sewage networks used to dump part of their sewage into these drains, which end in the lake, making them one of the main sources of pollution.<\/p>\n

He tells Zawia3: "Pollution is not evenly distributed over the entire area of the lake, but is concentrated more heavily in the eastern part, where the El-Bats drain empties, laden with agricultural drainage water and the sewage pollutants that accompany it. The El-Wadi drain is relatively less polluted, given its lower contribution of sewage compared with the El-Bats drain, but it is linked to an area with fish farms that use the drain’s water and then return part of it to the lake".<\/p>\n

He warns that agricultural drainage water does not carry only sewage waste, but can also carry residues of fertilisers and agricultural compounds, including nitrates and phosphates, which contribute to increased algae growth and raise levels of organic matter in the water. He notes that the accumulation of organic matter is one of the environmental challenges that need to be addressed, and proposes the use of aeration and oxidation methods, such as solar-powered fountains, to draw water and return it to the lake after exposing it to air, which helps to reduce levels of organic matter.<\/p>\n

He affirms that in recent years the state has taken measures to limit sources of pollution, including building wastewater treatment plants as part of the "Decent Life" projects, as well as working to regulate and connect the drains with the aim of reducing the quantity of pollutants reaching the lake.<\/p>\n

The former dean of the Institute of Marine Sciences does not attribute the decline of fish stocks in the lake to pollution or the spread of the "isopoda" parasite alone, because other bodies of water, such as Lake Mariout and Lake Manzala, suffered from high levels of pollution and yet fish remained in them, in contrast to Qarun, which lacks a natural exchange with the sea, so that a large proportion of the marine fish in the lake cannot complete natural reproduction, especially the species that need to migrate between marine and inland waters during their life cycle.<\/p>\n

He points out that for years the maintenance of the fish stock depended on the General Authority for Fish Resources Development, which has now become the Lakes and Fish Resources Protection and Development Agency, periodically releasing quantities of fry into the lake. He explains that in earlier periods the lake used to produce about 4,500 tonnes of fish annually, and the species produced included mullet, sea bass, sea bream, sole, shrimp and green tilapia, along with other species.<\/p>\n

He adds: "The decline in oversight of fishing during the periods of security turmoil following the January Revolution caused an increase in illegal fishing practices, especially the use of trawl nets and shrimp nets, practices that destroy spawning grounds and the lake bed, particularly the areas where aquatic plants grow".<\/p>\n

He views the spread of the "isopoda" as part of an imbalance in the ecosystem, and not a sole cause of the collapse of fish stocks, likening it to the relationship between predator and prey: when the number of fish that feed on isopod larvae declines, there is a greater opportunity for the isopods to multiply, and they then move on to the stage of parasitising the fish, attaching themselves to their bodies or entering the gills, which affects the health and growth of the fish and may ultimately lead to their death.<\/p>\n

Instead, the professor of aquatic biology adopts the idea of biological control, to rebuild balance within the ecosystem by introducing species of fish that are capable of feeding on isopods or are less susceptible to infestation by them. He points to a research project funded by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, which included monthly monitoring of pollution levels in the lake, a study of the fish species present, the rates of isopod infestation and the areas of their spread, as well as genetic studies to understand the nature of the parasite and the reasons for its transformation and spread.<\/p>\n

He notes that the research team carried out laboratory experiments to test the response of different fish species to isopods and to identify the species most capable of feeding on them and the species most exposed to infestation, making it possible to draw up a plan to restock the lake with fish according to the nature of each area. The possibility of distributing fish species and their quantities across the areas of the lake according to the environmental characteristics of each area was also examined, instead of releasing fry randomly.<\/p>\n

Ahmed points to the presence of diatoms, which are microscopic algae, in the western part of the lake, and to the possibility of using natural food to rebuild the food chain and to choose the species suited to each area.<\/p>\n

Ahmed links the abundance of natural food in the west with the possible suitability of some of its areas for shrimp, a proposal that requires a field assessment of the type of food, water quality and the needs of the farmed species. The suitability of the area cannot be reduced to the presence of a single type of algae, and describing it as less polluted is not enough to determine its capacity to absorb fry. This comes within his vision of distributing species according to the environmental characteristics of each site.<\/p>\n

He stresses that the rehabilitation of Lake Qarun must be based on an integrated plan to rebuild the lake’s ecosystem, and that priority must go to its eastern part, where the water of the El-Bats drain enters, pointing to the importance of using maps and geological studies to identify the most polluted areas, measure the depth of sediments and determine the areas that need cleaning and the removal of accumulated sediment.<\/p>\n

He also proposes reconsidering the distribution of some activities around the lake, so that activities that could put pressure on the eastern part are moved to the western areas that are less exposed to pollution, while developing infrastructure and roads in line with the lake’s environmental rehabilitation plan.<\/p>\n

The testimonies converge on a clear priority: treating and monitoring the sources of drainage before settling for cleaning the water or releasing fry. Monitoring water quality and fish health and making the results public, along with controlling fishing, selecting fry and monitoring parasites, remain conditions for assessing any recovery and sustaining it.<\/p>\n

The return of some fishing activity or a decrease in a single indicator is not enough to judge that the lake has fully regained its balance. The continued arrival of drainage and pollutants could wipe out temporary gains, while salinity, temperature and parasites affect the ability of species to survive. For this reason, controlling the transfer of contaminated fry, follow-up after its release and curbing unregulated fishing remain parts of the rehabilitation plan, not measures separate from treating the water and protecting fishermen’s livelihoods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Between agricultural drainage and sewage, salinity and parasites, researchers explain why cleaning Lake Qarun and releasing fry are not enough to restore its fish stocks and the livelihoods of fishermen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1076],"tags":[2171,18021,18022,18020,18023,3684],"kateb":[1550],"class_list":["post-17762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","tag-fayoum","tag-fisheries","tag-fishermen","tag-lake-qarun","tag-wastewater-treatment","tag-water-pollution","kateb-aya-yasser"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/qarun-2026-cover-olive-v2.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17762"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23476,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17762\/revisions\/23476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17762"},{"taxonomy":"kateb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kateb?post=17762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}