Deputy Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, Sayed Ismail, has held a meeting to review the progress of the strategic plan for seawater desalination through 2050. The meeting also discussed boosting coordination between relevant state entities for desalination plants. Ismail highlighted the importance of executing the strategic plan for desalination in coastal areas to ensure the availability of drinking water along the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts. This is critical to meet both current needs and the expected population growth in these regions, as well as to support urban development in new coastal cities. Officials from the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater presented a proposal outlining the strategic desalination plan and the targeted stations for implementation. They discussed the status of securing the necessary land for building the desalination plants as part of the plan, as well as the challenges faced during execution across different coastal governorates. The company's officials noted that the plan covers 11 coastal governorates, explicitly Matrouh, Alexandria, Beheira, Kafr El-Sheikh, Dakahleya, North and South Sinai, Port Said, Suez, Ismailia, and the Red Sea. Ismail emphasized that the desalination strategic plan is a comprehensive national initiative, overseen by the cabinet and backed by political leadership. The plan, developed by the Ministry of Housing, involves collaboration with various state bodies, such as the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the Suez Canal Authority, to evaluate the projected water needs. Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, through the Egypt Sovereign Fund of Egypt, and the Ministry of Finance, via the Public-Private Partnership Unit, are collaborating to prepare the required technical studies and to issue tenders for local and international specialized companies. At the end of the meeting, Ismail highlighted the importance of continued coordination among various ministry-affiliated bodies to review their needs for desalination plants in coastal areas and update the plan accordingly. He also stressed the importance of finalizing the coordination for the urgent plan to provide the necessary drinking water in collaboration with different ministries and state entities.
