El-Warak Island under government's comprehensive development plan

CAIRO - 12 September 2018: Due to its unique location on the Nile, the island of El-Warak was put on the Egyptian government top development plan to eliminate slum areas nationwide and provide citizens with suitable housing conditions, improving their living standards.

The government announced the implementation of a comprehensive development program through perpetual coordination between all ministries and governmental agencies to eliminate epidemics and diseases and provide citizens on the island with better conditions.

El-Warraq is an Egyptian island on the Nile River and part of the Giza governorate with an area of about 1400 acres. It is the largest of 255 islands in Egypt and enjoys a unique location. It is bordered by Qalyubiya to the north, Cairo to the east and Giza to the south.


A picture taken in Cairo on July 20, 2017 shows a ferry transporting goods and people into Cairo's Warak Island / AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI

According to their respective specializations, each ministry developed a plan to be implemented within a fixed schedule.

The Ministry of Health
The Directorate of Health in Giza, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health, organized four medical convoys to El-Warraq Island, providing various free medical services to the residents. The convoys offered free treatment and disease detection to a large number of citizens, aiming at raising the efficiency and quality of the provided health services in the island.

The convoys worked on the island for two days and witnessed heavy demand from citizens and provided various services covering different health sectors such as orthopedics, ophthalmology, dentistry, gynecology, skin care, pediatrics, surgery, and urology. Furthermore, they offered children from 3 to13 years old free vaccinations and issued treatment allowance financed by the state.

The Ministry of Health and Population contributed to the provision of free medicines, and provided the critical cases with free access to hospitals. The ministry also held educational seminars to raise health awareness in the island.

Finally, the ministry led the development of El-Warraq Central Hospital and the establishment of 10 dialysis units to serve El-Warraq residents and shorten the patients' waiting list.

The Ministry of Irrigation
The Ministry of Irrigation started to cleanse all the waterways and canals inside the island and remove herbs to eradicate epidemics and guarantee easy access to clean water while maintaining the aesthetic view of the island.

The Giza Water Company
Meanwhile, the Giza Water Company decided to supply a number of sewage vehicles to raise the drainage water instead of the manual drainage network and wells created by the people which affect their health conditions.

Moreover, Giza governorate allowed suspended ferries to re-operate on the island by mid-September while implementing a full development agenda for existing ferries.

In April 2018, the Council of Ministers approved the decision to put El-Warraq Island under the authority of the Body of Urban Communities in cooperation with the Armed Forces Engineering Authority to prepare the area for the implementation of the government's inclusive development program.