Egypt Steps Up Efforts to Fulfill its Water Needs

Removing the violations on the Nile River (Egyptian government)
Removing the violations on the Nile River (Egyptian government)
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Egypt Steps Up Efforts to Fulfill its Water Needs

Removing the violations on the Nile River (Egyptian government)
Removing the violations on the Nile River (Egyptian government)

Egypt is stepping up efforts to fulfill the country’s water needs through the development of canals and the rehabilitation of agricultural lands.

The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aty, stated that the rehabilitation of 4,898 km canals has been completed in various Egyptian governorates. The rehabilitation of 4,091 km of canals is still in progress, according to the Minister.

Abdel Aty affirmed that the government has set the Strategic National Water Plan 2037 to manage and meet water demand, with investments of not less than $50 million.

Investments are expected to reach $100 billion to improve water quality, develop new water resources, and rationalize the use of available resources.

On Saturday, the minister reviewed with a number of officials from the ministry the national project for the rehabilitation of canals.

Abdel Aty revealed that maintaining the canals faced several challenges in the past years, including some turning into rubbish dumps where residents from nearby villages throw unwanted things.

This compelled the ministry to take some decisive steps to improve the situation. It implemented the national project for canals rehabilitation, which aims to rehabilitate 20,000 km of canals with a total cost of 80 billion Egyptian pounds by mid-2024.

According to a cabinet statement, more than 55,000 violations on the Nile River were removed in coordination with the Egyptian state bodies.

Egypt’s overall annual share of water amounts to 60 billion cubic meters, while the country needs 114 billion cubic meters per year. Thus, the annual water deficit stands at 54 billion cubic meters.



Western Companies Accuse Baghdad, Erbil of Blocking Kurdistan Oil Exports

An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media
An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media
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Western Companies Accuse Baghdad, Erbil of Blocking Kurdistan Oil Exports

An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media
An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media

Despite the renewed optimism over the past two weeks regarding the potential resumption of Kurdish oil exports to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, a new setback revealed by oil companies operating in the region has pushed negotiations back to square one.

APIKUR, a grouping of eight oil firms operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, criticized both the federal government in Baghdad and the regional government in Erbil for failing to present any “proposal” to restart oil exports.

This has raised further doubts about the prospects of resuming exports, which have been halted since March 2023.

Despite criticism directed at both Baghdad and Erbil, a Kurdish affairs researcher insists that “influential factions in Baghdad” are obstructing the resumption of oil exports.

The coalition of eight Western oil companies that make up APIKUR had entered investment contracts with the Kurdistan Regional Government.

These companies now face legal challenges with Baghdad, particularly following a 2022 Federal Court ruling declaring the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas law unconstitutional, which led to a significant crisis with the consortium of companies operating in the region.

The Federal Ministry of Oil had previously accused APIKUR of “interfering in both internal and external Iraqi affairs” through its statements.

In a statement on Saturday, APIKUR said that despite the halt in oil exports since 2023 through the pipeline between Iraq and Türkiye, neither the group nor its members have seen any proposal from either the Iraqi government or the Kurdistan Regional Government that would lead to the resumption of exports.

APIKUR spokesperson Myles Caggins emphasized that the association continues to focus on collaborating with all stakeholders to fully restore oil production and exports through the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline.

The statement also pointed out that the Iraqi government has not taken the necessary actions to reopen the pipeline and enable oil exports from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, despite Türkiye announcing in October 2023 that the pipeline was ready for operation and oil export.

APIKUR had previously welcomed the Iraqi Cabinet’s proposal to amend Article 12 of the Federal Budget Law regarding oil production costs in the region, seeing the amendment as “an opportunity to meet its demands.”

However, the association now sharply criticizes both Baghdad and Erbil, stating that previous positive meetings with representatives from both governments have not resulted in any real progress toward reopening the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline.