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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)
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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.

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Türkiye Will Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ If Syria Govt Cannot Address Kurd Militia Issue, FM Says

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting of foreign Ministers on developments in Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting of foreign Ministers on developments in Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
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Türkiye Will Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ If Syria Govt Cannot Address Kurd Militia Issue, FM Says

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting of foreign Ministers on developments in Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting of foreign Ministers on developments in Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, 14 December 2024. (EPA)

Türkiye will do "whatever it takes" to ensure its security if the new Syrian administration cannot address Ankara's concerns about US-allied Kurdish groups it views as terrorist groups, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.

Türkiye regards the YPG, the militant group spearheading the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington, and the European Union.

Hostilities have escalated since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad less than two weeks ago, with Türkiye and Syrian groups it backs seizing the city of Manbij from the SDF on Dec. 9. Assad's fall has left the Kurdish factions on the back foot as they seek to retain political gains made in the last 13 years.

In an interview with France 24, Fidan said Ankara's preferred option was for the new administration in Damascus to address the problem in line with Syria's territorial unity, sovereignty, and integrity, adding that the YPG should be disbanded immediately.

"If it doesn't happen, we have to protect our own national security," he said. When asked if that included military action, Fidan said: "Whatever it takes."

Asked about SDF commander Mazloum Abdi's comments about the possibility of a negotiated solution with Ankara, Fidan said the group should seek such a settlement with Damascus, as there was "a new reality" there now.

"The new reality, hopefully, they will address these issues, but at the same time, (the) YPG/PKK, they know what we want. We don't want to see any form of military threat to ourselves. Not the present one, but also the potential one," he added.

Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the YPG-led SDF in northern Syria, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halt support for the fighters.

The US-backed SDF played a major role defeating ISIS militants in 2014-2017 with US air support, and still guards its fighters in prison camps. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the extremist group would try to re-establish capabilities in this period.

Fidan said he didn't find the recent uptick in US troops in Syria to be the "right decision", adding the battle against ISIS was an "excuse" to maintain support for the SDF.

"The fight against ISIS, there is only one job: to keep ISIS prisoners in prisons, that's it," he said.

Fidan also said that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which swept into Damascus to topple Assad, had "excellent cooperation" with Ankara in the battle against ISIS and al-Qaeda in the past through intelligence sharing.

He also said Türkiye was not in favor of any foreign bases, including Russian ones, remaining in Syria, but that the choice was up to the Syrian people.