Egypt's Supreme Legislative Reform Committee discussed Wednesday a new draft of Unified River Nile law submitted by Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, Al-Bawaba News reported. The new law needs careful study, especially as it is associated with a number of important issues including the tightening of penalties over violations on the Nile River, in addition to creating new sanctions on establishing fish farms and cages, which was not criminalized previously, a member of the committee, Salah Fawzy said during the meeting. Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazi asserted that the new law will help the ministry to better control the river and protect it from any dangers. Moghazi stated that the ministry will consider all the observations made by the committee, adding that the drat law will be resubmitted again for approval. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has formed the Legislative Reform Committee in June to streamline, research and study the needed decisions and draft laws that should be issued to comply with the country's new constitution, passed in January 2014. The panel is headed by Mahlab and includes ministers of parliamentary affairs and transitional justice, the head of the State Council, the state's Mufti, Al-Azhar's deputy, the head of the cabinet's advisory board, the head of the State Council's legislative department and the justice minister's assistant for legislation.
