Financing of Kitchener Drain projects worth €408M

CAIRO – 11 March 2021: Financing of the Kitchener Drain projects worth €408 million, with development financing amounts to €213.9 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB), in addition to a grant from the European Union (EU) worth €25 million for the implementation of the first phase focusing on the collection and treatment of wastewater. 

The EBRD provided a development financing worth € 79 million, in addition to a grant of €8 million for the second phase related to solid waste management; moreover, EBRD funded the third phase focusing on the depollution of the drain and its efficiency upgrade with €69 million euros and a grant of €12 million, according to the Ministry of International Cooperation.

The Kitchener Drain is the largest wastewater treatment plant in Egypt. It was established in 1899 and is 69 kilometers long; it starts from the Gharbia governorate, crosses the Dakahlia governorate, and passes through several villages in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, serving more than 11 million people in 182 villages. The project aims to raise the efficiency of the wastewater plant and improve water quality and the health and environmental status of the citizens living in the area.

This came during the Ministry of International Cooperation’s second meeting for the Kitchener Drain Depollution project, headed by Sherine Taha, Assistant to the Minister of International Cooperation handling the portfolio of international financing and economic research institutions, with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, and the Ministry of Local Development, in addition to representatives of development partners; the European Bank for Reconstruction Development (EBRD), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

This comes in implementation of the decision issued by Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, in September 2020, to form a new technical committee for the Kitchener Drain  Depollution project in order to discuss internal developments, executive work by the ministries, and common areas of interest with international financing agencies so as to accelerate the project’s implementation and to achieve better results.

This also comes within the framework of the Ministry’s keenness to constantly follow up on national projects with the stakeholders and funding bodies; especially the Kitchener Drain Depollution project, which aims to improve water quality and the health and environmental status of the citizens living in the area, who count for 11 million. 

During the meeting, the technical committee discussed the contracting procedures with the Ministry of Local Development, the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, which are responsible for implementing the project with the involved consultants, in order to start developing initial reports and operational steps at each phase of the project in search for better and more efficient results.

The Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities is responsible for implementing the first phase of the Kitchener Drain Depollution project which encompasses the collection and treatment of wastewater, while the Ministry of Local Development is responsible for the second phase of the project focused on solid waste management, whereas the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is responsible for the third phase encompassing the depollution of the drain and its efficiency upgrade.

The committee agreed on four main recommendations; firstly, setting a timeline for the work of the consultants for each phase of the project and ways of implementing it; secondly, the necessity for a clear means of communication between the different stakeholders in order to ensure the prior coordination of efforts and the smooth implementation of the project. Thirdly, the completion of coordination between the three ministries and the Ministry of International Cooperation, in order to identify the challenges that the stakeholders face with foreign funding agencies; and fourthly, proposing workshops in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to understand the development partner’s processes and procedures in regards to the development financing provided in order to ensure an effective cooperation.