A high-level meeting between Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade has set out an ambitious plan to overhaul the country’s sugar production sector while safeguarding its water resources.
The meeting, held at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital, was co-chaired by Dr Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Dr Sherif Farouk, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, alongside senior officials from both ministries.
The discussions centred on developing sugarcane processing facilities and preventing water pollution caused by industrial waste from sugar factories.
Dr Sweilem opened by praising the “distinguished cooperation” between the ministries, noting that such coordination strengthens efforts to protect Egypt’s scarce water supplies while bolstering national industries critical to the economy.
Dr Farouk echoed his counterpart’s sentiments, underscoring his commitment to ensuring continuous collaboration to serve public interest, protect natural resources, and maintain environmental sustainability.
Officials reviewed the status of existing and planned measures for managing waste generated by sugar factories.
They examined technical solutions to meet environmental standards, including the implementation of comprehensive sanitation plans for Egypt’s nine sugar facilities — Edfu, Kom Ombo, Armant, Qus, Nag Hammadi, Dishna, Abu Qurqas, Girga, and Hawamdiya.
Both ministers stressed the importance of factory upgrades to ensure environmental compliance, advocating the adoption of closed-circuit water recycling systems to significantly reduce consumption and limit pollution.
They also called for close coordination with other government bodies to uphold the provisions of Water Resources and Irrigation Law No. 147 of 2021 and the Nile River and Waterways Protection Law No. 48 of 1982, as amended by Law No. 103 of 2015.
The meeting concluded with directives to fast-track the creation of short- and long-term development plans.
These will involve specialist consulting firms and, where necessary, development partners to identify optimal solutions for waste management, assess the feasibility of cooling tower technology, expand processing capacity, enhance efficiency, and redesign water recycling systems across Egypt’s sugar plants.
About The Author
