Cairo: Egypt’s irrigation authorities have vowed on-the-spot fines for illegal cultivation of water-intense rice as fears grow in the populous country over cuts in its water share due to a disputed Ethiopian Nile dam. Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammed Abdul Atti has ordered irrigation inspectors to crack down on unlawful cultivation of rice and to immediately levy fines on violators for wasting water, Egyptian media reported. The official said that the rice is one of the most water-consuming crops that negatively affect the irrigation network. Authorities have said that 724,000 acres will be cultivated with the rice this year, compared to 1.1 million acres last year.