(A project conducted by Assiut University and supported 

by the Egyptian Ministry of International Development)  

Project Director:                       Prof. Dr. M. R. Mahmoud, President of Assiut University

Project Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. H.H. Mansour, Professor of Geology

Research Team:                      Staff members with different backgrounds from faculties of science 

                                                 and  agriculture.  

  In 1992, Assiut University chose Wadi Qena as the site for conducting an important project for land use evaluation and reclamation. Since then, the project is fully supported by the Egyptian Ministry of International Development. Several reasons lie behind choosing this particular Wadi. The most important reasons are:(1) the southern entrance of this wadi represents the eastern suburb of Qena town where the university campus as well as the main industrial zone are located, (2) wadi entrance is already accessible by very good asphalt roads from the Red Sea and Nile Valley areas, (3) the reconnaissance studies indicated that this wadi has high groundwater potentiality, (4) this wadi is almost parallel to the Nile Valley starting from east of Qena for a distance of 250 kilometers and receive reasonable amount of torrent water which can be harvested, and (4)development of such wadi will help to some extent solving the poverty and unemployment problems of Qena Governorate.

  For all of the above reasons the Egyptian Governments gave to this area high priority in terms of sustainable development. Consequently, Assiut University with its fame in development and community services has tackled this project. Two main phases was totally completed:(1) land use evaluation for agriculture, Industry, mining, and tourism, (3) evaluation of groundwater quantity and quality using geophysical and hydrogeological techniques, (3) preparation of geopotential map. Based on the results of these studies two production water wells were successfully drilled and currently their water are used in irrigation the pilot farm. Below is a summary of the achievements in each phase:

Phase I (1992-1994)

a- Stratigraphical and sedimentological analyses of the wadi course.

b-Morphometric analysis of the drainage system of the wadi basin.

c- Structural analysis of existing structures and fracture system.

d-Geo-electrical survey for groundwater exploration of the target area.

e-Hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical studies.

f- Geological mapping and evaluation of the ground water aquifers.

g- Soil classification.

Phase II  (first stage: July 1997-June 1998):

  a- Detailed study of two prospective areas concerning depth and thickness of the expected aquifer.

b-Based on this study the first water production well was drilled in the most promising site. The well has become a productive well with 100 cubic meters per hour production.

c- Construction of a car track 10 km long to connect the area with the Qena-Safaga asphalt road.

Phase II (second stage July 1998-December 1998):

a-A road of 10 km long has been paved in Wadi Qena to facilitate transportation to and from the farm.

b- Construction of a rest house and a room for the pump and the generator.

c- Installation of a submersible pump discharging 100 cubic meters per hour with a power generator of 80 HP equipped with sound muffle.

d- Installation of an environmental-friendly desalination apparatus for the reduction of salinity of water and soil.

e- Leveling of the pilot farmland covering 35 Feddans using Laser technique.

f- Supplying 1425 cubic meters of clayey soil to the farm.

g- Planning and executing the irrigation system using improved surface irrigation technique.

h- Planning the pilot farm and choosing the suitable plants.

Phase III (January-June 1999):

  A- Plantation of the farm by the suitable plans. The plantation included three kinds of plant trees, pomegranate, olive, and lime. Some of the non exhaustive crops( e.g. Alfalfa and aromatic plants) were also planted.