Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi followed up yesterday on progress on the implementation of national land reclamation and agricultural production projects and the provision of water to these projects, especially in Toshka in the Western Desert.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Swailem, Director of the Armed Forces’ National Service Projects Authority Maj Gen Walid Abul-Magd and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Company for Land Reclamation Maj Gen Tawfik Sami, the president listened to an explanation about achievement rates in land reclamation projects nationwide, including in Toshka and Owainat.
The officials meeting the president also briefed him about progress on the implementation of the New Delta and Future of Egypt projects.
They especially focused on water supply to these project in the light of Egypt’s limited annual revenues from the River Nile.
The president also reviewed the position of the Toshka project, including the location of new plots of land added to the project, in the light of its expansion plan.
President Sisi also listened to an explanation from the officials attending the meeting about topographical studies made about the area of the project, its water and energy needs, and the quality of the soil in it, including salinity rates.
The president gave orders for preparing studies about the most appropriate crops to be grown in the area, especially ones that are not water-consuming.
He also gave commands for tapping into available resources and maximising the utilisation of water resources.
This, the president said, comes within the framework of Egypt’s strategy to economise on water consumption by modernising its irrigation systems, treating wastewater and expanding the use of greenhouses.
