30 July - 5 August 2012 - orsam

Egypt PM Creates New Utility, Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministries
CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt‘s new prime minister, Hisham Qandil, on August 2 announced creation of a
new ministry of utilities, drinking water and sanitation.
Qandil hand-picked Abdel-Qawi Khalifa to lead the new ministry. Khalifa will put in place a national
strategy for drinking water and sewerage.
In his first appearance, Khalifa said: ―We will establish a target of connecting sanitation networks to
all corners of Egypt‘s rural areas.‖
―We will work on increasing water resources in coastal areas by connecting Nile water to remote
governorates,‖ he added.
The goal of creating a new ministry for water and wastewater facilities is to bring together all
organizations involved in these areas.
In the past, water issues have frequently been mishandled by the ministries of irrigation, agriculture,
and housing and urban development.
Sanitation coverage also lags behind, with only 60 percent of the population having access to sanitary
sewer facilities.
The new ministry will handle the difficult task of developing a strategy of connecting rural areas to
sewer systems.
The government estimates that it will take some $13 billion USD to reach a full sanitation coverage
throughout the country.
Although about 98 percent of the country‘s population has access to drinking water, the country is
suffering from increasing water pollution due to dumping of untreated industrial and agricultural
wastewater into the Nile and other waterways.
Per capita share of water has dropped to around 600 cubic meters per year.
Page 51