Cairo: Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam emphasized that exchanging expertise with Iraq is a crucial component in bolstering cooperation between Egypt and Iraq in managing water resources.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Sewilam highlighted Egypt's commitment to sharing its expertise and successful practices with Arab and African countries, especially given the growing challenges in the water sector and the importance of leveraging successful experiences and solutions to develop water resource management systems.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced that Sewilam received a report from Ayman Nader, Head of the Irrigation Department, regarding a visit by a high-level technical delegation from Iraq's Ministry of Water Resources. This delegation, which included eight senior Iraqi experts and engineers, visited Egypt to enhance technical cooperation and exchange expertise between the two nations, as well as to study Egypt's water resources management experience and its application of modern technologies in the field.
The visit commenced with a technical session at the ministry, where officials presented Egypt's strategic vision for water resources management, modern irrigation systems and applications, and projects aimed at treating and reusing agricultural drainage water.
During their stay, the delegation toured the Irrigation Museum in the New Capital, gaining insight into the historical and engineering development of Egypt's water management and distribution system. They also viewed models of modern irrigation facilities and examined rare documents chronicling this development.
Additionally, the delegation visited the National Water Research Centre in Qanater El-Khairiya, exploring research laboratories and the hydraulic model of the new Dirout Barrages. They learned about Egypt's expertise in biological control of aquatic weeds.
The tour extended to the Qanater El-Khairiya area, emphasizing the integration of scientific research and field applications in water resources management. The delegation inspected the New Delta Agricultural Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to gain insights into the latest technologies used in water system monitoring and operation. They also visited a model farm employing modern irrigation systems and the Nile Gauge in Manial.
The Iraqi delegation commended Egypt's significant achievements in treating and reusing agricultural drainage water, particularly through major treatment plants like New Delta, Bahr El-Baqar, and El-Mahsama. They expressed their interest in leveraging Egypt's successful experience to transfer relevant expertise and applications to Iraq.
The Iraqi experts also conveyed their appreciation for the integration of scientific research and field applications in Egypt's experience. They showed a keen interest in adopting a number of Egyptian practices, particularly in biological control of aquatic weeds and modern irrigation systems, which could aid in developing Iraq's water resources management system.