Bid to construct 1st phase of Kushner Canal solid waste unit offered

CAIRO - 25 August 2019: Ministry of Local Development announced a bid to construct the first phase of the prospective solid waste management unit of Kushner Canal passing through Gharbeya, Daqahleya, and Kafr El Sheikh governorates.

The budget allocated to the unit is €481 million funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The cost of the first phase is €79 million.

The unit is a joint project between the Ministry of Local Development, Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, and the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Areas. Kushner Canal extends over 69 kilometers and serves 182 villages. The goal of constructing the unit is the safe disposal of solid waste dumped in the surroundings of the canal.

The project consists of renovating and building 10 sorting facilities, four waste treatment factories, and four safe landfills. That is in addition to developing the existing landfills used by solid waste recycling facilities.

Kushner Canal was dug in 1893 for irrigation purposes. At present, it contains many pollutants that President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi instructed its clearance in 2015. The pollution is caused by 50 industrial establishments that drain their wastewater in it. Those include 28 private sector factories, and four state-owned plants. In addition, sewage water is dumped into the canal. However, its water is still used by farmers in irrigation because they have no alternative.