National development in post-revolutionary Egypt: sustainability through water megaprojects?

Water management in Egypt faces an intricate challenge because the country heavily depends on its natural water ecosystem. Novel adaptation and mitigation measures are urgently needed, as competition for water has increased dramatically among stakeholders. The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) announced the National Water Resource Plan (NWRP) 2017–2037 in December 2017. It aims to establish several novel water megaprojects to close the widening water demand gap. We examined four different water megaprojects in Egypt and their contribution to the water sector’s sustainability transition. Large-scale infrastructure transitions imply a key role for the state, yet we found that achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability through water megaprojects is not guaranteed in Egypt. Further research is needed on how transitions in latecomer water systems occur through megaprojects and on how stakeholder participation and collaboration can be enhanced.