Moustafa Madbouly, the Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, said that the implementation of 16 water desalination stations is taking place. The stations’ capacity is estimated at 473,000 cubic metres per day and will be built in five governorates. Madbouly said that the stations aim to serve the new communities and coastal cities underway, including New Alamein and East Port Said.
Madbouly explained that the governorates where desalination will be taking place include Matruh, North and South Sinai, the Red Sea, and Port Said. He emphasised that the expansion in desalination stations is a result of the state’s attention to maintain the water of the Nile in coastal governorates to save it for other activities, such as agriculture.
Sayed El Ashry, the chairperson of the National Authority for Potable Water and Sewage, said that the 16 stations to be implemented include four in Matruh—the expansions of Sidi Barani and Ramleya 3, in addition to New Dabaa with a total capacity of 34,000 cubic metres. Another station is being implemented in El-Alamein with a daily capacity of 150,000 cubic metres.
El Ashry added that four stations are being implemented in North Sinai, including Arish 1, 2, and 3, and Sheikh Zuweid with a daily capacity of 30,000 cubic metres. In addition to two stations in South Sinai, which are Nabaq and Tur with a capacity of 42,000 cubic metres. Similarly, there are two stations in Port Said, which are West and East Port Said with a 170,000 cubic-metre capacity. There are also the expansions of four stations in Red Sea, namely Al Yusr, Halayeb, Shalatin, and Abu Ramad with a daily capacity of 47,000 cubic metres.
According to Tarek El Refaay, the assistant housing minister, the National Authority for Drinking Water has implemented 39 water desalination plants earlier for the Red Sea water with a daily capacity of 235,600 cubic metres.
He added that the plants are distributed as following: nine in Matruh with 78,000 cubic-metre daily capacity, five in North Sinai with 10,600 cubic-metre daily capacity daily, six in South Sinai with 45,000 cubic-metre daily capacity, and nineteen in Red Sea with 102,000 cubic-metre daily capacity.
