Cairo – Mubasher: Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation, Rania El-Mashat, held the first coordination meeting for Kitchener Drain Depollution project worth EUR 408 million euros to improve water quality and the health and environmental situation of the people living in the area, according to a statement on Thursday.
The meeting included the participation of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities (MOHUUC), Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Ministry of Local Development, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, governors of Kafr El-Sheikh and Dakahlia governorates, as well as representatives of development partners, namely the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EBRD).
During the meeting, Reda Bebars, Advisor to the Minister of International Cooperation and Supervisor of the European Cooperation Sector, asserted the significance of the role of the Ministry of International Cooperation to enhance coordination between ministries, governorates, and development partners at each stage in the project to achieve better and more efficient results.
For their part, representatives of development partners praised the concerted efforts by the Ministry of International Cooperation and its role in launching a technical committee to follow up and monitor on the progress of the project.
The meeting discussed a loan provided by the EIB worth EUR 213.9 million for wastewater treatment and collection, in addition to the grant provided by the EU worth EUR 25 million for rehabilitation of sanitation systems, which is currently being finalised through a signature agreement by the Ministry of Housing and the EIB to start its implementation.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Local Development reviewed the second component of the project related to solid waste management in Dakahlia Governorate, which is financed by a loan from the EBRD worth EUR 79 million.
Representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation presented the developments of the loan agreement to be provided by the EBRD worth EUR 69 million, as well as a grant of EUR 12 million for the third component of the project for water purification through a pollutant monitoring system, which will enforce environmental laws and help control the level of pollutants in the water.
The new committee agreed that a joint implementation plan would be developed and that the Ministry of International Cooperation would play the role of the main coordinator of the project in order to enhance coordination between ministries and development partners.
Minister of International Cooperation added that the project will achieve several targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, namely the third goal for promoting good health and well-being of the citizens, the sixth goal for clean water and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, the 11th goal for sustainable cities and communities for green and sustainable living conditions, the 13th goal for climate action to protect the environment and promote new environmental technologies in Egypt and finally the 17th goal for partnerships to achieve development goals.
