Egypt has established 16 residential and agricultural development communities in North and South Sinai, comprising 1,141 homes, 269 groundwater wells and 28 pumping units, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said.
Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam reviewed the operation and maintenance of wells and pumping stations, as well as plans to tender contracts covering security, maintenance and operation across the communities.
Under the programme, each beneficiary is allocated a 200-square-metre home and five feddans of agricultural land, as part of efforts to provide housing and employment opportunities and support development in Sinai.
The ministry said North Sinai has 10 communities with 128 groundwater wells and 11 pumping stations serving around 4,900 feddans, while South Sinai has six communities with 132 wells and 16 pumping stations intended to serve 5,250 feddans.
Authorities have provisionally taken over 112 wells and nine pumping stations across nine communities in North Sinai, as well as 25 wells and four pumping stations in three communities in South Sinai.
Electricity has been connected to all wells handed over so far, while work is continuing to install meters and complete outstanding infrastructure, the ministry said.
The ministry began operating and maintaining wells and pumping stations in North Sinai in November 2023 and has awarded two contracts covering equipment maintenance, operation and security at facilities in the Hassana and Nakhl areas.
It is preparing four additional tenders for security, maintenance and equipment supplies covering the 2026/27 and 2027/28 fiscal years.
Sewilam instructed officials to complete outstanding works and award operation and maintenance contracts to specialised companies, while conducting regular technical inspections of wells and pumping stations.
He also called for tighter management of groundwater use, given that the resource is non-renewable, and for establishing water-user associations to monitor pumping volumes and water quality.
The programme is being implemented through coordination among the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the North and South Sinai governorates, electricity companies, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Armed Forces Engineering Authority.
