CAIRO – Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam discussed with Director of Sustainable Infrastructure at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Sue Barrett means of strengthening areas of cooperation between the ministry and the Bank in the field of water resources management.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed progress made so far to implement the “Kitchener Drain Depollution Project” in Egypt.
They also discussed managing the project’s three components, which include improving municipal solid waste management, rehabilitating the drain and expanding the wastewater network.
The two sides discussed the possibility of cooperation between the ministry and the bank in rehabilitating lifting stations, a matter that will help improving the performance of the water system and reducing the stations’ consumption of electricity, and in turn reducing emissions and mitigating the causes of climate change (zero emissions).
They also tackled the technical support that the bank could provide to the Irrigation Ministry to implement procedures for developing the water distribution system in Egypt and working to rehabilitate water facilities.
The “Kitchener Drain Depollution Project” offers a new approach to depollution in the country by tackling several sources of pollution at once to achieve maximum impact.
It is also the first programme of its kind to be implemented in Egypt and could be replicated in other areas and countries.
Depolluting and rehabilitating the drain will not only improve the health and environmental conditions of the 6 million people living in the drain catchment area, but also strengthen agriculture by improving the irrigation water quality in the three governorates of Kafr El Sheikh, Gharbeya and Dakahleya in the Delta region.
