Sisi Says Egypt Aims to Rationalize Water Consumption

Sisi Says Egypt Aims to Rationalize Water Consumption

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has said that the government aims to rationalize water consumption in Egypt despite stressing that the country’s water share from the Nile River will not decline.

Egypt is in conflict with Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) it is building on the main tributary of the Nile.

Cairo fears that the dam will damage its limited share of the Nile water of about 55.5 billion cubic meters. The country needs more than 90 percent for its drinking water supply, irrigation for agriculture, and industry.

Sisi inaugurated Bahr el-Baqar wastewater treatment plant, the largest of its kind worldwide with a daily production capacity of 5.6 million cubic meters.

The triple-treated water will be transferred to North Sinai to contribute to the reclamation of agricultural land within the framework of the national project for the development of Sinai and to support making the best use of the state's water resources.

The President stressed that his country is working to preserve its water resources due to its scarcity.

Sisi said that the reclamation of 500,000 feddans in Sinai had cost LE150-160 billion acquired through loans, which is crucial to maintain existing canals and Nile mainstream.

The President warned that the punishment to individuals,