Egypt has limited water resources, and it will be under water stress by the year 2030. Therefore, Egypt should consider natural and non-conventional water resources to overcome such a problem. Rain harvesting is one solution, but not the only one, particularly on the north coast by the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. In this paper, the rainwater issue is reviewed and discussed in terms of the quantities and distribution at different selected areas in Egypt. The amount of rainfall at different locations in Egypt was collected for a period of 16 months. The data indicated that rainfall in Egypt is very scarce, with an annual average of 12 mm and ranges from 0 mm/year in the desert to 200 mm/year in the north coastal region. The maximum total amount of rain does not exceed 1.8 billion m 3 per year. However, the average annual amount of rainfall water that is effectively utilized for agricultural purposes is estimated to be 1 billion m 3 . A harvesting pilot plant was constructed and implemented in Alexandria directly on the Mediterranean Sea. The harvested rain was used for irrigation and treated for drinking. It is, therefore, recommended to develop sustainable catchments at appropriate locations in the rain-fed areas on the north coast as well as cost effective grafting of indigenous technologies with innovative techniques.

Manzala lake is the largest costal lake east Nile Delta and is considered as one of the most dynamic ecosystems along the Egyptian coast on the Mediterranean Sea. It is ecologically and economically important due to biological diversity, valuable fish, and wild life resources. The lake has undergone a considerable reduction in surface area due to input from human activities. This costal Lake constitutes an estuarine environment with a very particular behavior. The purpose of this investigation is to measure the general hydrological parameters (salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, phosphate) and concentration of trace metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cd, Pb) at seven stations in the Lake during four seasons (Jan.-Oct. 2012). The salinity ranged between(0.55-36) depending on seasonal bases. The pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and phosphate had weak relation with salinity. The temperature of the lake varied according to the seasons. The pH of water ranged between (5.2-8.8). Dissolved oxygen (DO) of the water decreased with temperature, and increased with photosynthetic activity of the producers. There was strong correlation found between both Fe and Mn concentrations with salinity while the concentration of Cd, Cu, and Zn showed negative correlation and salinity.The concentrations of the measured trace metal were found in the following order Fe > Mn > Cu > Zn > Pb > Cd. Metal concentrations in the water indicate an increase in the pollution load due to movement of fertilizers, agricultural water, prawn cultivation and Motor Boat operations. An immediate action from the stakeholders is required in order to protect the lake from further pollution.

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The radioactivities of (234+235)U, (232)Th, (40)K and (137)Cs were measured in the coastal sediments of the western Mediterranean Sea between Alexandria and Salloum, Egypt. The recorded activities of the natural radionuclides were within the range of those measured worldwide. The highest activities of (234+235)U and (40)K (166.5 ± 7.7; 365.8 ± 2.3 Bq kg(-1) dry weight) were measured at Sidi Krir station while El-Max station recorded the highest (232)Th activity (22.7 ± 0.6 Bq kg(-1) dry weight) indicating that these radionuclides may accumulate in ionic and particulate forms from the drainage systems of the fertiliser, petrochemical and paper industries and from agricultural drains and also as the drifted particulates from longshore currents and accretion processes. The lowest (234+235)U activities were recorded at Salloum and the lowest (232)Th and (40)K activities were recorded at El-Hammam, indicating that the accretion process is more active in the eastern Mediterranean. Salloum recorded the highest activity levels for (137)Cs (7.9 ± 0.4 Bq kg(-1) dry weight) showing significant increases of the artificial (137)Cs westwards that may be indicative of to the anthropogenic sources from the northern Mediterranean.

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