About CMRI:

Channel Maintenance Research Institute (CMRI) is one of 12 research institutes in the National Water Research Center (NWRC) of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI). CMRI was established in 1975 with the objective of conducting and proposing implementable solutions for the ministry in field of open waterways management (e.g. design, rehabilitation, maintenance and aquatic weed management ) to achieve water saving and quality preservation. CMRI works on setting up most suitable technical and economic solutions for water resources problems encounter MWRI in the fields of design and maintenance of open channel and aquatic weed management to save water and conserve its quality.

Institute challenges and missions

Water resources management and development are the most important challenges of CMRI for national water security. CMRI works on setting up most suitable technical and economic solutions for water resources problems encounter MWRI in the fields of design and maintenance of open channel and aquatic weed management to save water and conserve its quality. To achieve such goals and ensure supporting MWRI strategies, CMRI activities include:
- Rehabilitation of water courses to overcome the problems of cross section reduction or widening and secure water availability at channel tail ends.
- Developing integrated programs for the operation and maintenance of national mega projects concerning hydraulic performance, aquatic weeds management and sand dunes movement.
- Developing series of hydraulic equations for designing stable open channels.
- Evaluating the hydraulic efficiency of water courses and proposing technical solutions for hydraulic performance improvement.
- Introducing most suitable scientific solutions for open channel maintenance procedures.
- Monitoring climatic changes impact on aquatic weeds growing and spreading.
- Monitoring and evaluating various methods of open channel maintenance due to sedimentation and aquatic weeds removal.
- Assess the impacts of improper dredging on open channel hydraulic performance.
- Preparing and sketching out basic guidelines for aquatic weed management by different maintenance procedures (mechanical , manual and biological).
- Designing barriers and developing innovative solutions for aquatic weeds management upstream the hydraulic constructions.
- Monitoring and evaluating the infested waterways with aquatic weeds and related water quality changes in the irrigation and drainage networks as well as High Aswan Dam Lake.
- Using advanced methodologies, in cooperation with the Nile basin countries, for studying problems related to aquatic weeds and proposing appropriate strategies for removal and preventive maintenances procedures.
- Developing and evaluating the performance of mechanical equipments used for open channel maintenance.
- Preparing best application procedures for open channels maintenance through developing relevant indicators which based on the existing channel conditions.
- Evaluating environmental impacts of fish farms effluent on open channels water quality.
- Evaluating coverage of open channels passing through residential areas and setting up optimum maintenance techniques.
- Providing tailor-made training courses for engineers and other disciplines from MWRI, Arabic and African countries on: open channel design and maintenance, artificial breeding of grass carp, etc..