Rawdat al-Sayeda housing units - File
CAIRO - 26 January 2022: The Ministry of International Cooperation’s 2021 Annual Report details the development financing agreements secured for the housing, utilities and local development sector, amounting to $169 million to implement 6 projects within the framework of the Government of Egypt’s commitment to expanding the implementation of water and sanitation projects, to promote sustainable management of water resources, and to ensure the development of infrastructure. This supports the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, namely SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
According to the Ministry’s 2021 Annual Report, titled “Engaging For Impact Towards Our Common Future”, $131 million was secured through cooperation with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to implement the Program for Integrated Rural Sanitation In Upper Egypt in Luxor. 22,000 homes in Luxor are expected to benefit from the program, and about 240,000 people, thus supporting the Government of Egypt’s efforts in continuous development in the sanitation sector across all governorates.
Implemented in cooperation with the AfDB, this project aims to improve the sanitation services in Upper Egypt. This is done by enhancing the capacity of sanitation services from 6% to 55% by inaugurating new water and wastewater treatment plants, IRSUE-Luxor; a project that is part of the National Rural Sanitation Program (NRSP) implemented by the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, which aims to expand access to sanitation services at the rural level from 34% to 60% by 2030.
This is also in addition to a $25 million development financing grant secured through partnerships with the European Union, to implement the Alexandria West Wastewater Treatment Plant Project. This is alongside three grants secured through cooperation with Germany worth $6 million for the Nile Delta Water Management Program, $4 million for the Capacity Building through Urban Infrastructure Development Project, and $2 million for the Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas Project. Moreover, a $1 million grant was also secured through cooperation with Sweden to implement the Urban Transportation and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
Innovative Water Resources Management Plans in Egypt: Wastewater Treatment Plants
The Ministry’s 2021 Annual Report highlights the Government of Egypt’s effective measures to enhance the sustainable management of water resources, spotlighting the Bahr El-Baqar wastewater treatment plant, which H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated last year. The project is 190 km long, and has a treatment capacity of 5.6 million cubic feet of water per day, thus providing water that is suitable for the cultivation of over 400,00 feddans in northern and central Sinai, while also creating over 100,000 direct and indirect job opportunities. The project, done in cooperation with Arab funds and the private sector, has been listed by the Guinness World Records as the largest water treatment plant.
The report also documents the Gabal Al-Asfar wastewater treatment plant, the third largest in the world. This water treatment plant spreads over 78 feddans in the governorate of Qalyubia. The $1 billion project treats abouts 2.5 million cubic meters per day, supporting 12 million residents in Cairo. Moreover, the plant was implemented in cooperation with Italy, France, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the AfDB, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
In 2021, the Ministry of International Cooperation secured $10.2 billion in development financing. This includes $8.7 billion directed to public sector development and $1.5 billion for the private sector development.
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