Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Swailem on Saturday reviewed efforts to regulate the country’s groundwater sector, including the inventorying of wells and violations and the collection of outstanding dues, his ministry said.
The review covered monitoring the implementation of removal orders, taking legal action against violators and following up on the work of the ministry’s general directorates responsible for groundwater nationwide.
Swailem stressed the need to expand the digital transformation of the groundwater well licensing system, with electronic licensing to be introduced across all departments as part of efforts to establish full digital governance, the ministry said.
The system is expected to simplify licensing procedures, allow decisions to be delivered electronically to beneficiaries, improve services and strengthen monitoring of groundwater wells across Egypt.
The meeting also discussed a technical plan for e-governance and digital transformation, as well as a proposed media campaign to raise awareness of groundwater regulations and encourage compliance with the law.
Swailem directed that young ministry engineers receive intensive training in cooperation with the Regional Training Centre for Water Resources and Irrigation, with the aim of preparing a new generation to work in the groundwater sector.
He also called for water-user associations to be activated and for modern irrigation methods to be promoted on farmland dependent on groundwater, in order to improve water-use efficiency and resource management.
The minister further directed officials to encourage the use of solar energy to operate groundwater wells, saying the move would support clean energy and help reduce operating costs.
