Assessment of water management and cost–benefit of lifting water for new elevated reclaimed areas: a case study of El Nasr Canal, Egypt

In arid and semi-arid regions, water scarcity is a dominant problem where water insufficiency greatly hinders sustainable agricultural development. Another significant challenge is usage of pump stations for lifting irrigation water to elevated lands considering cost recovery of cultivated crops. Egypt, which is a semi-arid region, has been facing challenges due to limited water resources and insufficient agricultural production. Egyptian Government seeks to expand agricultural projects to increase production. This paper focuses on expansion project along command area of El Nasr Canal, as a case study, which is supplied from El Nubaria Canal through a cascade of five pump stations irrigating new reclaimed land in north-west Egypt Delta. The main goal of this study is to analyze cost–benefit of lifting water to irrigate different crops along El Nasr Canal. The study also aims to assess sufficiency of lifting water along each pumping station and investigate shortages/surpluses until delivering water to end users. Modern irrigation is applied to only 57% of El Nasr Canal area, while surface irrigation is used in remaining areas. Cost analysis showed that total cost of lifting water for each pump station is (2.794, 5.591, 8.247, 12.138, and 17.044) × 10–3 $/m3, respectively. Feasibility analysis indicated that sunflower, groundnuts, sugar beet, apples, and mandarins are non-feasible for most pumping stations zones even with usage of modern irrigation. Results showed irrigation demand requirements exceeded water supply causing severe shortages of 883.30 MCM/year. Accordingly, the study presented different scenarios to provide decision-makers with solutions for better management of water and cropping pattern. Methodology developed in this study presents a useful guide to analyze and assess water resources and agricultural sustainability in similar regions. © The Author(s) 2025.