Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad and Governor of Fayoum Ahmed Al-Ansari presided over the meeting of the committee to follow up on the implementation of projects to restore the ecological balance of Lake Qarun.
Fouad expressed her appreciation for the efforts of the governor and members of the committee to support environmental work in Fayoum and his endeavour to carry out work to improve the environmental situation in the governorate in cooperation with the concerned authorities.
The minister also reviewed the main axes of the meeting, which include work on three main tracks — rebalancing Lake Qarun, reviving it through the establishment of a salt extraction project, and solving the sewage problem on the lake with the help of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities in cooperation with projects of the European Reconstruction Bank.
Additionally, the authorities are working on solving the problem of industrial drainage in the Kom Oshim area, which is based on the establishment of a new station, which has already been proposed.
During the meeting, Fouad stressed the importance of the project to restore balance to Lake Qarun, which is a model for compatibility between the environment and investment, and that environmental protection does not conflict with investment, but rather is a basis for maximising benefits at the national level.
She noted that restoring Lake Qarun to its original state provides a greater opportunity for tourism investment and fish farming, stressing the need to follow up on the work of these projects and their compatibility with the agreed time plans in a way that contributes to achieving development on all axes to improve Fayoum.
The meeting also discussed the executive procedures for establishing a safe haven project for reserves in Fayoum as one of the green investment projects that support tourism development opportunities for the governorate, provide job opportunities and protect the environment.
