Alexandria Water participates in a workshop entitled (Sharing ideas to develop media coverage of water and sanitation issues)..

The Alexandria Water Company, headed by Engineer Ahmed Gaber, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Managing Director, participated in the workshop held under the auspices of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities and with the participation of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater and the European Union in Egypt under the title (Sharing ideas to develop media coverage of water and sanitation issues).

The European Union Ambassador to Egypt, Mr. Christian Berger, said that the workshop aims to exchange knowledge and use all channels to discuss the challenges and risks related to the water crisis and find the necessary solutions to them. He pointed out that the European Union is present in 16 governorates in Egypt through implementing and financing projects that strengthen the water sector and ensure Sustainability of services, and that media interest in water issues plays an important role in increasing awareness among citizens and contributes to conveying messages and information in an innovative and creative manner.

In the speech of Mrs. Dr. Jacqueline Azar, Deputy Governor of Alexandria, she said that Alexandria Governorate is witnessing a great architectural and development awakening, as it has allocated 60 million pounds for infrastructure work for water and sanitation projects and employment of workers, and that the governorate is facing a great challenge, especially with cases of climate change, weather fluctuations, and the differences in nuclei and their intensity in the years. Finally, there are 6 projects, 3 of which have been completed, to separate rainwater in order to reduce traffic flow in the winter.

In his speech, Engineer Mahmoud Nafi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sanitation Company in Alexandria, confirmed that the state is working hard to establish many projects to avoid repeating the scenario of flooding the governorate in 2015, including a project to separate rainwater from sewage by seeking the expertise of professors from the Faculty of Engineering and the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces. We work to develop and raise the efficiency of lifting stations.

Engineer Ahmed Jaber confirmed that the European Union is a key partner in water issues and contributes with us to solving water crises with huge funds, and that during the coming period we need 5 water stations at a cost of up to 60 billion pounds to confront water shortages and find alternative solutions.

He added that Alexandria water serves three governorates: Alexandria, part of Matrouh Governorate, and Beheira, and that Alexandria has 6 million citizens, reaching 10 million during the summer, which leads to severe pressure on the water network, and the water pipes need to be replaced and renewed due to their age and pressure. It is severe, resulting from the large population increase in recent years, and alternative solutions must be found to compensate for the water shortage. Therefore, a groundwater station is being established in the Nubaria area.

Regarding the seawater desalination project, His Excellency said that although the city of Alexandria has a sea coast estimated at 60 kilometers, there are only 3 places suitable for establishing desalination plants, and we are working on this matter so that we do not face a future water crisis, pointing out the great role of means of water desalination. The media in general is committed to confronting these challenges by educating citizens about the economic use and conservation of water.

At the forefront of the audience was Dr. Engineer Hossam Maghazi, former Minister of Water Resources, and a number of media figures and those interested in water issues and the state’s executive bodies.