Imagine you live in a big castle with lots of other people. There are things that everyone needs to make sure the castle is nice and safe for everyone to live in. Public works are like those things - they are things that the people who live in a place need to make sure the place is nice and safe for everyone to live in.
In ancient Egypt, public works were really important to make sure everyone had what they needed. Egyptians built things like irrigation canals and dams to control the flow of water from the Nile River. The Nile River was really important because it provided water for the crops that people grew to eat. The canals and dams helped make sure that the water was used in the best way possible to help the crops grow.
Egyptians also built roads to make it easier for people to travel from one place to another. They built bridges over rivers so people could cross them without getting wet. They also built big buildings like temples and palaces that everyone could use.
All of these public works helped make life better for everyone who lived in Egypt. Crops grew better because of the water, people could travel more easily and safely, and everyone had buildings to use for different things. So, public works were really important for people to live happy and healthy lives in ancient Egypt.