Egypt’s Irrigation minister: Cleaning up old Dairut Barrages, installing iron gates to prevent water pollution

Cairo - 2 April 2023: Minister of Irrigation and Water resources Hany Sewilam said the ministry has removed garbage that piled up in old Dairut Barrages, in the Upper Egyptian Governorate of Assiut and installed new iron gates to keep the place clean and protect it from pollution.

In statements Sunday, the minister of irrigation and water resources said the ministry - as part of its societal role in support of Dairut citizens - embarked upon upgrading the barrages, with a view to preserving the image of the ancient water irrigation facility, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Dairut municipality and a Japanese company. 

The old Dairut barrages are considered one of the oldest water diversion structures worldwide, as they were constructed in 1872 and consist of seven barrages that serve 1.5 million feddans across five governorates — Assiut, Minya, Beni Sueif, Fayyoum and Giza.

All efforts implemented are meant to increase the capacity of the water system nationwide.

Meantime, the minister received a report from head of the Barrages and Reservoirs Department Ehab el-Gohary posting him on work flow at the New Dairut Barrage.

The project's implementation rate exceeds above 15% up to date, Sewilam said. 

The new Dairut Barrages project is one of the huge projects carried out by the ministry to upgrade and maintain irrigation facilities across the country and aims to improve irrigation systems to serve 1.6 million feddans in the Upper Egyptian governorates of Assuit, Menya, Beni Suef, Fayyoum and Giza, the minister said.

The project also includes the establishment of seven barrages with a system to manage and follow up water distribution in 45 areas covered by the project, the minister added.