Egypt establishes Center for 'Rain and Flood Forecast' in South Sudan

CAIRO – 27 June 2024: Spokesperson of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Ghanem stated in a phone-in Wednesday that the minister's visit to South Sudan is aimed at launching a number of projects implemented by Egypt, including the country's first Center for Rain and Flood Forecast.

Ghanem noted that Egypt had built a similar one in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As for the projects to be launched, he stated that 30 kilometers of Bahr El Ghazal River to be cleaned.

The ministry had revealed in March that it had begun constructing eight solar-powered groundwater pumping stations in South Sudan.

The ministry pointed out that 20 of those had been established over the past few years to serve 100,000 South Sudanese citizens. That is in addition to four rainwater harvesting dams.

Minister Hani Sweilam stated in December 2022 that Egypt had invested LE106 million in the water sector in Africa in 2022.

The works carried out include the fifth phase of the removal of weeds from African Great Lakes; the second phase of the weed removal in Uganda's Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert; the completion of seven solar-powered underground water treatment plants in rural areas near the South Sudanese capital of Juba; and, kick-starting the first phase of constructing rainwater harvesting dams in South Sudan's Khor Wara region. That is in addition to developing the Egyptian-Sudanese Permanent Technical Authority for Nile Water.

With regard to the capacity-building of human resources, 228 Arab and African professionals received training at the ministry's Regional Training Center. Further, two training courses were delivered to 38 others, from 16 African countries, in the field of river engineering, sustainable development, and the designing, measurement, operation, and maintenance of water establishments.