The government of the Arab Republic of Egypt represented by the country’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said has approved over US$ 15m for the execution of an electrification project meant to connect the Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant into the national electricity grid.
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The funds will be released to the National Authority for Potable Water and Sewerage’s (NOPWASD) of Egypt, which is implementing the Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant project.
The approval of this fund comes as part of the fiscal year (FY) 2020/21 plan, and implements directives made by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
The Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant
According to El-Said, the Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant which is being built by Arab Contractors (Arabco) and Orascom Construction, is the largest in the world, with a capacity of 5m cubic meters per day.
This facility will recover effluent that flows along the Bahr al-Baqar drain that runs from southern Cairo to Sharqeya governorate, through the governorates of Qaliubiya and Daqahleya, and from Ismailia to Port Said.
It will mainly be used for the reclamation and cultivation of about 330,000 feddan of land east of the Suez Canal, in addition to the 70,000 feddan that are currently being cultivated.
Aim for the Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant project
According to the Egyptian Minister of Planning and Economic Development, the Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant is a component in the project to establish the Bahr Al-Baqar water drainage system, one of the most important projects under the Sinai Peninsula Development Program’s umbrella.
It will contribute to the Egyptian government’s policy to counter terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula through investments in sustainable infrastructure and it is also part of the Egyptian government’s national strategy to preserve the country’s dwindling water resources.