Engineer Mamdouh Raslan, President of the Holding Company for Potable Water and Wastewater, said that water issues are very important issues in Egypt and the whole world, as the fresh water available in the whole world represents approximately 3%, and the percentage allocated to drinking water does not exceed 1% to meet the needs of more than 6 billion people.

He added, in his speech at the “Third Conference on the Future of Water Desalination in Egypt and the Middle East,” organized by the Egyptian Center of Excellence for Water Desalination Research, that the steady population increase with the stability of Egypt’s share of Nile water represents a major challenge, pushing us to think about alternative and unconventional sources.

He pointed out that the holding company and its subsidiaries produce 25.5 million cubic meters of drinking water per day, and rely on Nile water as a main source, representing 85% of water sources, followed by groundwater. The state is currently moving to expand the use of seawater desalination to stop the transfer of Nile water to the regions. coastal areas, especially with the low price of current desalination technologies compared to the cost of transporting Nile water and the high rates of encroachments on water transmission lines.

He stressed the interest given by the state and the Ministry of Housing in developing sustainable development plans and future visions to confront current challenges, and the trend towards localizing the desalination industry in Egypt to reduce the cost, noting that one of the most important challenges facing the future of desalination in Egypt is the increase in operating costs resulting from the consumption of electrical energy, and the high Prices of spare parts needed for maintenance.