IWMI director lauds Egypt water management plan

CAIRO, Dec 24 (MENA) - With a national plan already in place, Egypt is making great progress in terms of management of its water resources, a senior official with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has said.

It is an ambitious plan that should continue through 2037 to achieve four main goals, namely: water purification, rationalization, development and awareness, said IWMI regional director Amgad el Mahdi in an interview with MENA Tuesday.

The purification process is meant to reduce pollution, reuse sewage water and clear groundwater, he said.

A sub-plan to determine crops with less water consumption should be outlined as part of the rationalization process, which also includes upgrading irrigation systems, Mahdi added.

He talked about desalination of sea water with the aim to achieve development in the northern coast and the Red Sea regions.

The fourth aspect of the plan is to increase awareness of citizens through TV shows and schools about the importance of water conservation and rationalizing water consumption, Mahdi further said.

He touched upon what he called Egypt's leading role in reusing water in agriculture.

Besides that, Egypt offers promising opportunities where using solar energy in irrigation is concerned, Mahdi added.

It is an integrated plan that takes into consideration economic, social and environmental gains as a result of water management, he noted.