Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aty met on Sunday with Governor of the New Valley Mohamed Al-Zamlot to discuss ways of maximising the utilisation of agricultural drainage water in the governorate.
The meeting also addressed ways to manage drainage in a way that alleviates water congestion in drainage ponds and making use of this water to implement development projects.
Abdel Aty pointed out that the ministry has developed and raised the efficiency of its equipment and cranes within the New Valley and emphasised its readiness to deal immediately with emergency or periodic maintenance work for groundwater wells there to ensure the sustainability of their operation and preservation.
He added that 19 of the underground wells in the New Valley were provided with a self-control system that can be monitored and operated automatically from a central operating room in the ministry that works around the clock on a continuous and regular basis.
The system aims to monitor the safe withdrawal from wells and calculate consumption rates for each well separately to avoid excessive usage.
The minister added that within the framework of the protocol signed between the irrigation ministry and the governorate, a solar energy system is currently being installed for 85 underground wells in the Kharga, Dakhla, and Farafra oases.
Furthermore, he stressed the need to fully adhere to the application of all controls and requirements for the use of groundwater, optimally managing water resources, especially since the deep groundwater in Egypt is non-renewable.
He also pointed to the importance of expanding the shift to the use of modern irrigation systems as an alternative for flood irrigation, which leads to rationalising water usage.
