Cairo: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli emphasized on Tuesday government’s keenness to follow up on the Irrigation Ministry’s projects, which are closely linked to securing Egypt’s water needs as well as development needs of many other sectors. Madbouli made the remarks during a meeting with Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam to follow up on some of the ministry’s work files.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Sewilam said the concept of the ‘second generation of irrigation system 2.0’ is primarily aimed at achieving Egypt’s national water security through introducing unconventional resources and good management of traditional resources to meet current and future shortages and increase comprehensive development opportunities. The 2nd generation system involves implementing major water treatment and desalination projects, including the Bahr El-Baqr treatment plant with a total treatment capacity of 5.6 million cubic meters per day, the New Delta treatment plant with a total capacity of 7.5 million cubic meters per day, and the Mahsama treatment plant with a total capacity of 1 million cubic meters per day, the minister said.
He noted that the new system seeks to apply smart management and smart irrigation practices by supporting the modernization of water supply systems, with the aim of enhancing water use efficiency and boosting agricultural productivity. Prominent among the goals of the 2nd generation system is also raising water awareness through media campaigns that use radio broadcasts, awareness posters at train stations, and digital displays at inside trains, the minister explained.
In addition, the first phase of a digital licensing system for groundwater wells has been completed “pilot operation”, and efforts are underway to complete a beach licensing system, the minister pointed out. He added that up to 27 GIS-based applications have been developed to follow up and measure performance indicators for the ministry’s affiliated bodies in general.
Moreover, the ministry is working on digitizing irrigation and drainage networks and water facilities, which amount nearly 56,000 facilities, the minister said. He indicated that as part of the government’s digital transformation efforts, the Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa) platform is used to monitor the shoreline, water quality, and irrigation networks. This system empowers countries access to satellite data (analysis ready data-ARD), enabling climate adaptation, greater food security and more sustainable development.