CAIRO - 31 December 2023: Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has implemented investments worth LE 7.401 billion in 2023 in several projects aimed at providing the necessary water resources for development operations, Minister Hany Souleim stated.
He clarified on Sunday that the projects also aim to enhance the efficiency and development of the irrigation and drainage system, ensuring an increase in the productivity of water units.
Souleim added that the ministry's efforts have succeeded in providing the necessary water needs for all sectors using water, dealing efficiently with various challenges facing the water sector in Egypt.
Rehabilitation of Facilities at the High Dam
According to a statement from the ministry, works were carried out at the High Dam and Aswan Reservoir with investments amounting to LE 400 million. In the field of rehabilitating water facilities, investments of LE 100 million were injected during the year.
The construction of the New Dairut Bridges project on the Ibrahimia Canal continued, aiming to improve irrigation operations on 1.6 million feddans in five provinces. An advanced system for controlling the actions of the canals fed by the bridges in the five provinces was also provided.
The minister stated that with investments of LE 38.5 million in 2023, the rehabilitation and efficiency enhancement of the Huwis Bridge in the canal of Tanta's navigation mouth, updating the operating systems of the Damietta Dam, the rehabilitation and efficiency enhancement of the Belqas Bridge, the rehabilitation of the Salheya Reservation Bridge, and the reinforcement of the Ibrahimia Canal sector in front of and behind the mouth in Assiut were completed. Additionally, the rehabilitation of the road above the Delta Bridges group was carried out.
Database
During the current year, a geographic database was developed, including an inventory of all facilities on watercourses located on canals and drains, with a total of 47,000 water facilities. The goal is to evaluate the actual status of these facilities and contribute to making necessary decisions to determine maintenance or replacement priorities for each facility.
A timeline was prepared for the rehabilitation of these water facilities, especially the gates, with the start of rehabilitation procedures for priority gates before the peak season needs of 2024. A unit within the ministry was formed to monitor all stages of designs and implementation in coordination with all relevant ministry entities.
Efforts are underway to replace and renew existing irrigation and drainage stations or establish new stations, managed by the Mechanical and Electrical Department, to serve agriculture sectors and land reclamation, meeting various water needs with investments of LE 970 million during the current year.
Development of Pumping Stations
During the year, the implementation of several pumping station construction projects was completed, such as the stations in South Husseiniya, Tabyat Al-Abd, Qota, the New Selsela, Sultaneya Drowning, New Farma, Sidmant A, New Batash, Bani Saleh, New Deer Al-Senqoria, Drain 7, and the New Bakr Main.
In the year, about 33,000 kilometers of canals were cleaned, covering the total lengths of canals in various provinces. An urgent plan was developed before the peak needs of 2023 to clean all affected canal lengths, during which 16,800 kilometers of canals were cleaned.
The rehabilitation of canals with lengths up to 945 kilometers in various provinces was completed during the year, and work is underway to rehabilitate canals with lengths up to 3,400 kilometers, with large lengths of them scheduled for completion in 2024.
Hayah Karima Initiative
The ministry is actively participating in the Hayah Karima "Decent Life" presidential initiative, covering its activities in the first stage of 54 centers in 20 provinces. During the year, 309 kilometers of canals were rehabilitated in initiative centers. Currently, work is underway to rehabilitate canals with lengths of 879 kilometers, with large lengths scheduled for completion in 2024. The ministry allocated 33 plots of land for the benefit of irrigation to implement 62 service projects to serve the citizens in the initiative centers.
Efforts are being made to maintain the agricultural drainage system in both its surface and covered branches with investments of LE 1.6 billion. The drainage authority, during 2023, cleaned public agricultural drains with lengths of up to 22,000 kilometers for 4,444 drains and dredging works with quantities of up to 10 million cubic meters to ensure their ability to receive and pass agricultural drainage water without any obstacles.
Deepening Drains
Works were carried out to expand and deepen open drains for 15,000 feddans. In 2023, work was completed on the construction of covered drains for 89,000 feddans. It is targeted in 2024 to implement covered drains for 60,000 feddans.
The ministry has developed a strategy prioritizing desert lands, and modern irrigation systems must be used in accordance with the law. Penalties for water waste are applied, and a shift to drip irrigation is encouraged in sugar cane farms covering 325,000 feddans and orchards covering 750,000 feddans.
Work continues in 2023 and 2024 on the implementation of the agricultural drainage water transfer project in the western Delta to the water treatment plant in El-Hamam. The project consists of 12 lifting stations and a transfer path with a length of 174 km, reaching the currently under construction treatment plant with a capacity of 7.5 million cubic meters per day.
Rehabilitation of Existing Sewers
Rehabilitation of existing water sewers with a length of 60 kilometers and the construction of 15 pumping stations are being carried out. This giant project is part of major projects implemented in the field of reusing water, such as agricultural wastewater treatment projects in Lake Bardawil and El-Mahassemah.
With investments of LE 1.3 billion during 2023, the ministry continues its work on the "Development of the Irrigation and Drainage System in Siwa Oasis" project in cooperation with the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces, the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University, and the residents of Siwa Oasis. The project aims to provide radical solutions to problems that have existed for 30 years.
With investments of LE 2.6 billion during 2023, the implementation of facilities to protect against flood hazards continues. These facilities provide the necessary protection for citizens and establishments. In addition, rainwater harvesting is carried out, and the harvested water is used by Bedouin communities in surrounding areas for drinking and grazing.
Flood Risks
During 2024, implementation works will extend to include the cities of Taba and Abu Redis in South Sinai, Marsa Alam in the Red Sea, and a number of active valleys in Matrouh Governorate. Protection works will cover valleys and areas in Abu Al-Raish and Naj Al-Shadeedah in Aswan Governorate and the New Qurna area in Luxor Governorate.
In the field of sound groundwater management and monitoring the extraction from groundwater wells, three wells in the coastal oases were rehabilitated and renewed at a cost of LE 19 million. The implementation of 100 artesian wells in Matrouh Governorate was carried out at a cost of LE 4 million. Additionally, the second phase of the study "Updating Groundwater Capacities in Egypt" was completed in cooperation with the Studies Center at the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University.
In the field of supporting African countries, especially Nile Basin countries, works were carried out with investments of about LE 370 million. The fifth phase of the project to remove water hyacinths from the great lakes was completed, as well as the second phase of the project to manage water hyacinths in shallow sites in Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert in Uganda. The ministry also supported the permanent technical committee for the Nile waters between Egypt and Sudan.
Comments
Leave a Comment