Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hany Sewilam, met on Wednesday with Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, Kamel Al-Wazir, and Minister of Agriculture, Alaa Farouk, to review joint projects and enhance coordination aimed at supporting water and agricultural systems while protecting road and railway infrastructure, the irrigation ministry said in a statement. Sewilam affirmed that collaboration between the ministries will continue to resolve obstacles in shared priorities in a manner that improves water services and reinforces national food security. Al-Wazir stressed the need to maximise the use of every drop of water through scientifically planned measures to expand cultivated areas while safeguarding key infrastructure, including roads and railways. Farouk said coordination among ministries is ongoing to boost agricultural productivity and enhance food security. During the meeting, officials reviewed studies on the planning of an agricultural drainage network in the Qota area in Fayoum governorate, including the proposed intersection of the planned Qota drain with the Cairo-Assiut Western Desert Road. The ministers also reaffirmed the state's push to enforce the use of modern irrigation systems in sandy lands, in accordance with the law, including the installation of meters at modern irrigation intakes to accurately measure water consumption. Discussions further covered technical options to rehabilitate or replace the North Sahl El-Husseiniya pumping station in Port Said, and addressed ponds that have recently formed in El-Bahnasa, Minya, due to illegal flood irrigation on sandy lands. The ministers stressed the need for firm action against encroachments on waterways, roads and railways, as well as illegal intakes, pipelines and unauthorised groundwater abstraction, the statement added.
