L shape progression of irrigated land in the desert is 50 m higher than Nile farmland and Temple-Town Hierakonpolis, GoogleEarth 10 11 2022.

The vast green of the Land reclamation project, Wadi El Sa’aydi dwarfs the traditional Nile farms and Temple -Town Hierakonpolis. Rising ground water in the lower farmland and settlements, not intended or wanted, harms the lower areas. Leakage from canals in the higher desert and permeable soils in the desert bring water of the desert farms to the lower farmland and towns.

Wadi El Sa’ayda: canal 50 m higher in desert than Nile farmland and proud sign of cooperation and support from Italy for this land reclamation project, begun 1978

The news article, AlAhram 2008, reports the damage from Wadi Sa’ayda to several towns – this region and the residents.

Irrigation in the nearby, higher desert to make the desert green, extended agriculture with many flaws. This new water for irrigation from Wadi El Sa’ayda helps and harms. It damages the foundations of structures, and salts fields among the new farms in the desert but the desert soils and natural drainage return the over abundance of water to harm the lower, traditionally fertile Nile farmland.

Walls undermined by groundwater toppled houses at Ghaba, 2006.

2006 Ghaba dead trees
Dead Date Palms and farmland from saline groundwater – Ghaba east of Hierakonpolis January 2006 – Walters
Salt fields among the new farms in the desert, Wadi Sa’ayda, 2005.

Hierakonpolis is part of this regional salinization resulting from the desert land reclamation project, Wadi el Sa’aydi.