Egypt's Irrigation min. says '25,000 encroachments removed'

CAIRO - 12 December 2021: Irrigation and Water Resource Minister Mohamed Abdel Ati said on Sunday about 25,000 encroachments were removed at a total area of 4.2 million square meters.

The encroachments were removed in coordination with state bodies concerned, he said, noting that all needed legal measures were taken in this regard.

The move comes within the framework of a wide-scale campaign to remove encroachments on the Nile River and waterways.

Encroachments were removed from Giza, Kafr el Sheikh, Qena, Assiut, Menya, Sohag, and Beheira. 

Last october, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi ordered continuing coordination among relevant authorities to monitor cases of encroachment on agricultural lands and take strict procedures to face them.

In a meeting with Minister of Agriculture El-Sayed El-Quseir and a number of key officials, Sisi followed up on the ministry’s efforts to face encroachments on agricultural lands and the executive measures taken to halt them, a statement by the Presidency read.

During the meeting, Sisi followed up on the executive position of the ministry’s projects regarding the development of livestock and milk collection centers, in coordination with the National Service Projects Organization.

Quser briefed the president on efforts to develop livestock with high dairy productivity.

Sisi directed strengthening these efforts due to their direct economic and financial returns for the benefit of breeders and their income improvement in integration with the national project “Haya Karima”.

This is in addition to the contribution of this project to supporting dairy production for the local market and promoting related food industries.

Late in September, Sisi ordered the government and the army if required to remove encroachments on irrigation facilities around the Nile canals nationwide within six months.

The president warned that the government may ban those responsible for building violations on agricultural lands from subsidies on bread and other services until the encroachments are halted.