Egypt's housing minister says lands on Warraq Island bought consensually from holders

CAIRO – 18 August 2022: Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Assem al-Gazar stated in a press conference Thursday that the government had put its hand on squatter-occupied 91 feddans (one feddan equals 4,500 square meters) in Al Warraq Island situated on the Nile River at Giza governorate.

The minister stressed that 67 feddans of those were consensually bought from holders as they had a total of 125 buildings. The price per feddan was set at LE 6 million. Yet, the sum disbursed until present is just LE 6 billion.

Further, Warraq residents were given the option to get 16 feddans in Sadat City, suburban area in Cairo, for each feddan they sell to the government.

The State Information Service (SIS) had released the plan set to develop Giza's Al Warraq Island, spanning over 6,360 square kilometers, at a budget of LE17.5 billion.

The estimated annual income is LE 20.4 billion for 25 years, as the island, whose name will be changed to Horus City, will be divided into eight residential areas, and will also include commercial areas viewing the Nile River. That is in addition to two harbors and a central park.

The ministry revealed in a press statement earlier in August that 94 flat-buildings will be established as a start on Giza's Warraq Island, whose name will be changed into Horus City.

Those will comprise a total of 4,092 units, and will be in three forms. All of them will consist of 10 stories. Yet, there will be four apartments per floor in the first and third types, and six apartments per floor in the second type. The difference between the first and third type is that the latter will house commercial units along with residential ones.

The number of buildings in the second type is the largest with 87, encompassing a total of 2,508 apartments, then comes the third type with 22, having a total of 924 flats and 132 shops. Finally comes the first type with merely 15 buildings, housing a total of 660 flats.

Constructions began in just 40 buildings of different types, and those will encompass a total of 1,744 units.

On July 16, 2017, police stormed the island to remove encroachments on state-owned lands so clashes ensued with squatters. The clashes left at least 33 policemen wounded, the Ministry of Interior had said in a statement.
 

When security forces attempted to demolish illegal buildings, some of the squatters demonstrated in various areas and disrupted the operation by firing birdshots and throwing stones, the statement noted.