Hanan Atef
Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, Muhammad Abdel-Ati, has headed to South Sudan to follow up on bilateral projects currently underway between Egypt and South Sudan. Mr Abdel-Ati will inaugurate a drinking water plant that was established and financed by Egypt for the students and staff of the University of Juba.
In November 2014 the two countries signed agreements according to which Egypt would launch and supervise technical development and water projects worth USD26.6 million in South Sudan. During his current visit, Mr Abdel-Ati meets his South Sudan counterpart Sofia Pal Gai to discuss ongoing projects. The two ministers are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for new water projects Egypt will execute in South Sudan. Among these projects, Pal Gai pointed out, is the establishment of water reservoirs to serve the people of South Sudan during the dry season. Egypt is also conducting projects to teach the South Sudanese activities such as fishing, protected cultivation and way trade, to open before them new vistas of livelihoods. South Sudan who will also have the chance to benefit from Egyptian skills and expertise.
Egypt has already executed many water and development projects in South Sudan such as building river ports to help connect towns and villages, thus boosting social and economic conditions in South Sudan. Egypt has also dug 17 wells to secure drinking water to more than 500,000 South Sudanese, and has established networks to connect six of these wells in order for clean drinking water to reach as many South Sudanese as possible. Egypt is still working on drilling another 13 wells.
WATANI International
2 November 2016