EU supports wastewater treatment plant expansion in Egypt

The European Union (EU) has allowed €32m as grant for the Kafr El-Sheikh wastewater expansion project in Egypt.

The project has an estimated worth of €164m in total and involves construction of two new wastewater treatment facilities along with the expansion of three existing plants.

Around 700km of pipes will also be set up as a part of the expansion project along with the installation of their 52 pump stations.

Once developed, the project will be able to serve 500,000 residents across 79 villages in the city of Kafr El-Sheikh.

The project has been funded by both European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) which have offered €55m and €77m, respectively.

Egyptian Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly was quoted by Daily News Egypt? as saying: "Approximately 30,000 jobs are to be created during the construction of these systems; all in all this is making a significant contribution to stability and to future economic prosperity and above all the welfare of the Egyptian people."

The country intends to raise its sewage coverage by up to 50% within the next three years.

Egypt presently has a sewage coverage equivalent to 15%, which has been achieved in over 20 years.

Madbouly said: "This of course requires huge investments and immense effort from the state.

"We’re working closely with various international financial institutions to develop the sewage system those including Arab funds and recently we made a deal with the World Bank."

Besides improving health quality of the city residents, the project is expected to better quality of the Nile, Lake Burullus and the Mediterranean Sea.