Minister of Irrigation: We implemented 2,353 projects at a cost of 261 billion pounds during the past 10 years

– Minister of Irrigation: Bilateral cooperation with the Nile Basin countries, and implementation of development projects to serve citizens in these countries at a cost of $100 million.
– Developing the monitoring and operation system at the High Dam using the latest technologies and Egyptian expertise, with investments of 1.50 billion pounds.
– Developing, replacing and renewing the infrastructure of major irrigation facilities at a cost of 12.20 billion pounds, and rehabilitating lifting stations at a cost of 6.40 billion pounds.
– Encouraging farmers to switch to modern irrigation on sugarcane farms and orchards, and emphasizing the use of modern irrigation systems on sandy lands
– Major projects to reuse agricultural wastewater, such as Al-Hammam, Bahr Al-Baqar and Al-Mahsama stations

The Military Academy for Postgraduate and Strategic Studies organized an experience transfer meeting with Dr. Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, which was held at the academy’s headquarters.

Major General Ashraf Muhammad Fares, Director of the Military Academy for Postgraduate and Strategic Studies, expressed, during a speech he delivered, Dr. Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, praising the role of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in achieving optimal management of water resources, through the distinguished technical cadres possessed by the Ministry, noting what has been achieved. Among the achievements under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic.

In his speech, the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation saluted the director of the academy, our armed forces and their national role in serving the country and supporting all development paths in the country, praising the role of the academy in organizing experience transfer meetings to hone the skills and knowledge of military and civilian students and expatriates from brotherly and friendly countries in various fields.

– Achievements of the Ministry of Irrigation during 10 years

Dr. Sweilem reviewed the achievements achieved in the field of water resources and irrigation during the past ten years, whether at the national, regional or international levels, where 2,353 projects were implemented at a cost of 261 billion pounds.

Dr. Sweilem reviewed the areas of bilateral cooperation between Egypt and the Nile Basin countries to implement and establish many development projects in various fields, in a way that fulfills the requirements of citizens in these countries in the field of water at a total cost of $100 million, such as projects to establish groundwater stations and wells equipped with solar energy for drinking purposes, and establishing… River anchorages to serve fishing and navigation purposes, ground reservoirs and dams for harvesting rainwater, establishing rain and climate change prediction centers, laboratories for quality analysis, clearing waterways of floating weeds, and training and capacity building for 1,650 trainees from 52 African countries.

He also referred to Egypt’s efforts at the international level to support water issues and integrate them into the global climate file, in which the country has achieved notable successes through a long course of international events and meetings, such as the Cairo Water Weeks held annually, and what the Egyptian presidency achieved during the COP 27 conference in including water. In the overall resolution of the conference, which is the first time that the word water has been mentioned in the history of climate conferences, in addition to establishing the Loss and Damage Fund, these efforts continued during the activities of COP 28.

He continued, Egypt also participated with great success in the activities of the United Nations Water Conference, which was held in New York during the month of March 2023. Egypt also holds the presidency of the Council of African Ministers of Water (AMCO) for a period of two years during which it seeks to unify African visions to serve water issues on the continent. Egypt is also currently serving as president of AMCO. In coordination with all African countries to come up with a unified vision that will be presented during the Tenth World Water Forum, which is scheduled to be held in Indonesia next May.

On the internal level, Dr. Sweilem reviewed the achievements achieved in the water resources and irrigation sector during the period from 2014 until now, as Egypt carried out development work for the monitoring and operation system at the High Dam using the latest technologies, Egyptian expertise, and investments exceeding 1.50 billion pounds during the past ten years, and implementation work to develop Replacing and renewing the infrastructure of major irrigation facilities with investments of 12.20 billion pounds, the most prominent of which is the construction of the new Assiut Barrage at a cost of 6.50 billion pounds, and the construction of the Dayrut Barrage group, which is currently being implemented at a cost of 1.20 billion pounds.

All water facilities in the Republic, with a total of 47 thousand facilities, were identified and classified according to their condition, and a code was worked on for each facility. Presidential directives were issued to provide 10 billion pounds to immediately begin maintaining, replacing, and renovating very critical and dangerous facilities.

In the field of rehabilitating lifting stations, projects were implemented at a total cost of 6.40 billion pounds to resolve irrigation problems in some hotspots, such as the Wadi al-Naqra stations in Kom Ombo in Aswan, constructing, replacing and renovating 45 stations to serve the reins of 1.70 million acres, and strengthening emergency centers with equipment and supplies for rapid intervention in times of crisis. Floods and rains, rehabilitating and providing electromechanical equipment to raise the efficiency of the stations, providing local spare parts from national factories to complete the renovations at the stations, and implementing 4 stations funded by the Long Live Egypt Fund to confront the floods and rains crisis in the Western Delta.

In the field of canal rehabilitation, 7,500 kilometers of canals have been rehabilitated, work is underway on 2,600 kilometers, and another 1,600 kilometers of canals are being offered, with the Ministry developing a guideline for canal rehabilitation, and studying ways to use environmentally friendly materials in rehabilitation work.

In the field of developing irrigation systems and modernizing irrigation systems, the formation of water users’ associations at the irrigation level was supported, and elections were recently completed to choose the secretaries of water users’ associations in the centers, the secretaries of all governorates, and the president and members of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Water Users’ Associations at the republic level, which were conducted in accordance with Water Resources and Irrigation Law No. 147 of 2021.

Drip irrigation networks connected to a single lifting point powered by solar energy were also designed and implemented, and facilities were provided to farmers to borrow to finance the conversion to modern irrigation systems on their lands over 10 years without interest, with care being taken to encourage farmers through the water guidance departments in the governorates to convert to modern irrigation on sugarcane farms and orchards. Emphasis is placed on the use of modern irrigation systems on sandy lands, while issuing violation reports if flood irrigation is used on these lands.

In light of the limited water resources in Egypt and the large gap between resources and water needs, Dr. Sweilem reviewed the state’s efforts in the field of reusing agricultural wastewater, such as the Al-Hamam station projects with a capacity of 7.50 million m3/day, the Bahr Al-Baqar station with a capacity of 5.60 million m3/day, and the Al-Mahsama station. Capacity: 1.00 million m3/day.

He also reviewed what was achieved in the project to develop the irrigation and drainage system in Siwa Oasis, at a cost of 3 billion pounds, in cooperation with the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University, and the people of Siwa Oasis. To develop radical solutions to problems that have existed for 30 years, the Ministry drilled deep wells to produce fresh water from the Nubian sandstone reservoir to mix with surface well water, closed many underground wells, which were drawing water from the surface aquifer in an oppressive manner, and carried out works to strengthen, raise and consolidate A number of bridges in Birkat Siwa, with a total length of 14 kilometers, and an open canal of 33.70 kilometers long was dug to transport agricultural drainage water to the east of the oasis, through the Antfir lifting station, which pumped agricultural drainage water through a 5.70-kilometre-long canal that reaches the open canal.

Within the framework of the Decent Life Initiative, the Ministry participated in rehabilitating 3,121 kilometers of canals in the initiative centers, and managing irrigation utility lands to implement service projects in the initiative centers, with a total of 147 plots of land, with an area of ​​1,004 acres, to establish 188 service projects on them.

In the field of confronting climate change and rainwater harvesting projects, 268 industrial works were implemented in the governorates of Upper Egypt, at a cost of 1.68 billion pounds, and 70 industrial works are being implemented, at a cost of 1.33 billion pounds, and a target of 69 industrial works, at a cost of 4.61 billion pounds, and 1,359 industrial works were implemented in the governorates. North and South Sinai, the Red Sea and Matrouh, worth 5 billion pounds, and 20 industrial works worth 480 million pounds are being implemented, and 20 industrial works are targeted, at a cost of 5.60 billion pounds.

In the field of protecting Egyptian beaches, protection works with lengths of up to 120 kilometers were carried out, at a cost of up to 3.60 billion pounds, which contributed to the protection of coastal areas and their facilities and investments worth about 75 billion pounds, and to the acquisition of land areas amounting to 1.80 million square meters. .