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CAIRO - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi the government on Sunday to ban the growing of ornamental plants in  what he characterized as a bid to preserve water and ensure the growing of useful crops

“God willing, there will be no drop of water that we can use that we will not use and no piece of land that we can plant that we won't plant,” Sisi told top officials during the inauguration of a number of agricultural projects in the  area in the western Egyptian desert.

Sisi’s statements came amid Egypt’s bitter dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (). Egypt fears that the dam will drastically reduce its share of water from the Nile. 

Sisi's new directive to the government among Egyptians on social media.

Award-winning novelist Alaa Al-Aswany, currently in self-exile outside the country, tweeted: “Sisi’s decision…reminds me of [Hosni] Mubarak’s decision to kill pigs [during the swine flu pandemic]…the dictator’s feeling of grandeur makes him make random calls in fields he knows nothing about, while specialists keep silent either out of fear or greed. Then [supporters] sing songs glorifying for the inspiring leader…democracy is the solution.”

A twitter user tweeted, replying to Aswany : “How come and it’s a known fact that ornamental plans are a source of hard currency as there are companies exporting [them] abroad [?] Why end a source of income for thousands of [families] because of a decision that harms rather achieves benefit [?]"