Egypt kicked off its preparations for the Cairo Water Week' third edition, which will be held under the slogan "Water Security for Peace and Development in Arid Regions".
This comes as negotiations between Cairo, Addis Ababa and Khartoum still face complications concerning a final agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Egypt, which relies on the Nile for up to 90 percent of its fresh water, fears the 145-meter-high dam will threaten already scarce water supplies.
Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aaty held a meeting with officials involved in the technical arrangements for the water conference, which will be held from 18 to 22 October.
During the five-day conference, the attendees will take part in numerous sessions on a variety of sub-themes related to water security. Five main general sessions will be organized during the week, alongside over 25 technical sessions.
According to Abdel Aaty, the conference will highlight different aspects of water security, including the challenges facing water resources in arid regions. It will also discuss scientific solutions and the latest technologies to achieve water security.
For her part, Eman El-Sayed, Head of both the ministry's planning sector and the conference's organizing committee, said that the lay-out of this year's event will be different from the previous two occasions.
She said the official opening ceremony will be held, followed by the start of activities through virtual sessions, to ensure the broad and effective participation of experts from different parts of the world.
"All precautionary measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)," Sayed noted.