NASA’s Earth Observatory captured two striking images of Egypt’s rapidly transforming landscape. The images, taken by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and OLI-2 on Landsat 8 and 9 satellites, show the dramatic changes in Egypt’s New Delta region, where a massive agricultural push is underway to green the country’s deserts.The images, taken four years apart, provide a stunning visual comparison of the progress made between November 2018 and November 2024.
In a major initiative to “green” Egypt’s deserts, the New Delta project aims to convert 2.2 million feddans (9,240 square kilometers) of barren land west of the Nile Delta into thriving farmland. Using images from NASA’s Landsat satellites, the transformation of the Alexandria and Beheira governorates is visible, showcasing rapid agricultural expansion over just six years, from 2018 to 2024.
The region’s development follows a newly established irrigation system, which relies on wastewater from Alexandria’s record-breaking treatment plant, capable of processing 7.5 million cubic meters of wastewater per day. Despite relying on additional sources like groundwater and canal water from the Rosetta Branch of the Nile, this system plays a key role in irrigating the new agricultural land.
The New Delta project is just one part of a larger effort to boost Egypt’s agricultural capabilities. A study by Boston University mapped 16,000 square kilometers of new farmland in Egypt between 1987 and 2019, highlighting the steady shift of desert into productive agricultural land. With such projects, Egypt is working towards improving food security, increasing sustainable land use, and advancing environmental resilience.
