Details of housing projects, water plants inaugurated by Sisi

CAIRO - 15 December 2018: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi inaugurated on Saturday six housing projects and three water plants. The president visited Mahrousa 1 social housing project in Al Jabal Al Asfar in Daqahliyah governorate, which is part of Greater Cairo, while inaugurated the rest via video conference.

The other social housing projects are located in Al Asher Min Ramadan City, New October City, and 3,348 residential units in Cairo’s Badr City, and South Sinai. That is in addition to Ahalina 1 social housing project in Salam city in Cairo.

As for water projects, the president inaugurated a wastewater treatment plant in Al Jabal Al Asfar, and water purification plants in Mahmoudiya near Alexandria, and New Sohag City.

Mahrousa 1

The project consists of 4,900 residential units as well as shops, and administrative units. It is constructed over 60 feddans. The breakdown is 34.7 feddans for buildings, 14.2 for facilities, 8.4 for roads, and 2.7 for greenery.

Ahalina 1

The project is executed by the Higher Command of the Central Military Region, Cairo governorate, the National Bank of Egypt (NBE), and Ain Shams University. The value of the project is LE365 million. Forty-six percent of the cost is covered by donations, while the rest is funded by NBE.

The project includes schools having a total of 120 classrooms, a medical center, and a mosque.
Basements will be used as fashion workshops to create jobs for women.

The residential units delivered to former slum dwellers are furnished. The president stated that the cost of furnishing social housing apartments is LE6 billion.

Wastewater Treatment Plant in Al Jabal al-Asfar

The plant is built on 78 feddans and will serve the neighborhoods of Maadi, Dar al-salam, Ain Al Seira, Al Amireya, and Hadayek al-Qoba. The water treated can irrigate 150,000 feddans minimum. The plant treats 2.5 million cubic meters of wastewater daily and the capacity will increase to 3.5 million cubic meters per day.

The cost of the first and second phases is LE3 billion. Construction of the first phase started in 1990, and started operation in 1998 treating 1.2 million cubic meters daily. The plant has a farm stretching over 300 feddans where lemon, olives, citrus fruits, and pecan are cultivated.

Prospective Projects

Water Projects

Head of Water Department at the Armed Forces Engineering Authority Assem Abdallah Shokr revealed that Bahr al Bakar wastewater treatment plant will finish on June 30, 2020. The wastewater to be treated used to pour into Manzala Lake and pollute it.

The cost is LE18 billion and 4,000 feddans will be granted for fisheries that will be displaced as they will no longer be allowed to stay around Manzala Lake located near Port Said governorate.

President Sisi said that some steal baby fish from the lake and put them in fisheries, and if they do not survive, they just use them as forage fish. The president criticized such behavior.

Shokr stated that 54 desalination plants are planned in Egypt. Twenty-three are finished, and 13 are under construction. Four of those are in South Sinai.

Filters and other components of the plants are manufactured locally as the president is eager to increase the share of local manufacturers in infrastructure projects taking place. The Arab Organization for Industrialization will start producing membranes necessary for desalination plants.

Housing Projects

Head of Mega Projects Department Essam al-Khouly said that 63 residential projects are being executed including 108,000 units as part of social housing, middle class housing, bedouin and rural houses. The projects consist of five-storey buildings, and each floor has four apartments.

Commander of Central Military Region Emad al-Ghazaly promised that Ahalina 2 will have a church after the president questioned why Ahalina 1 does not have one. The commander added that an axis road nearby will be built at a cost of LE2 billion.

Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel Aal stated that five social housing projects are being executed. Those encompass 23,000 residential units.

Social housing mainly targets slum dwellers, and Greater Cairo used to have 46 slums. Fifteen of those are dangerous. A number of housing projects have been finished and delivered to citizens such as Asmarat.