Recent reports reveal that Egypt’s water and sanitation projects will not be privatized in the foreseeable future. The private sector would, however, participate in managing them, thereby freeing government subsidies to be redirected to other industries in need of financing.
Muhammad Ibrahim Suliman, minister of housing, utilities and new urban communities, explained that these sectors had undergone restructuring to better utilize funds, reported Al-Ahram daily.
Various means of enhancing current water systems are presently being explored, including the expansion of operating water plants and desalination projects. Earlier this month, the Giza municipality allocated 27 million Egyptian pounds ($6.8 million) for the maintenance and establishment of drinking water facilities through 2002.
Egypt consumes a total of 66.34 billion cubic meters of water annually, 55.5 billion of which come from the Nile River. An additional 20 billion cubic meters will be needed by 2017. —(MENA Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
