Sisi briefed on proposals to utilize investment opportunities at northern Egypt’s Lake Manzala

CAIRO – 2 July 2022: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was briefed on Saturday on proposals to develop and utilize the investment opportunities at Lake Manzala in northeastern Egypt, which aim at preserving the lake and achieving sustainable development.

The proposals include measures to maximize return from utilizing the lake in terms of environmental, economic, urban, social, or tourism terms by implementing multiple maritime and development work, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said.

The meeting reviewed efforts to develop Lake Manzala through a number of main axes that include aspects of environment, fisheries, maritime transport, and tourism, as well as the social and economic dimension, the spokesman said.

A number of projects has been implemented in this regard to ensure the renewal of water inside the lake from the Mediterranean Sea to improve the quality of water and the environmental situation in the lake, the spokesman said.

During the meeting, Sisi urged continuing efforts of purifying and developing Lake Manzala and other lakes nationwide in order to support and maximize the return from fisheries production in integration with the purification of lakes.

This is in addition to the formation of urban and tourist clusters, which contributes to raising the standard of living for the citizens living around them.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and a number of ministers and officials attended the meeting with Sisi today to review the work flow regarding developing Lake Manzala and its surrounding areas.

Attendees included Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel Ati, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawi, Minister of Interior Mahmoud Tawfik, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Housing Assem El-Gazzar, and Minister of Agriculture El-Sayed El-Quseir.

 

Lake Manzala, located in the northeastern part of the Nile Delta, is one of the largest fresh lakes with an area of around 405 square kilometers depth of 1.15 meters, according to the Presidency.

The lake connects the three governorates of Port Said, Dakahlia and Damietta and shares its eastern borders with the Suez Canal. It is bordered in the west by the Damietta branch and in the north with the Mediterranean.

The Egyptian government has been renovating the lake as per the president’s directives over the past years as part of a national project to raise the efficiency and restore lakes nationwide.

The lake is facing a number of problems and obstacles, including reduction in area due to erosion, shoveling, desiccation of soil, and water pollution caused by discharge of wastewater and sewage, industrial, and agricultural water.

This is in addition to the growth of water plants, such as Eichhornia and Phragmites, which impedes the movement of lake water and the impact on fisheries there.