Egypt and the Netherlands sign MoU for five year cooperation on water resource management

Egypt and the Netherlands signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand their current cooperation on water management. Over the next five years the two countries will initiate new cooperation on the issues of water resource management and protection of Egypt's northern coast.

Minister Hossam Moghazy (left)of Water Resources and Irrigation and minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen (right) of Infrastructure and Environment, signed the new MoU in Cairo on 3 November.

Egypt and the Netherlands have a longstanding relation on water management of 38 years.

Major challenges
"I am impressed by the challenges that Egypt faces. Providing more than 80 million people daily with clean drinking water is a huge job, like managing a coastline of 1000 kilometers", said Dutch minister Schultz van Hagen on the occasion of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with her Egyptian counterpart minister Moghazy. 

Radical solutions needed
According to Moghazy the most important issue of the cooperation is to help Egypt to overcome the effects of climate change on its water utilities and on its northern coast.

It has been agreed that the Netherlands will help to develop follow-up plans and future strategies.

Egypt's minister of water resources said radical solutions are required to solve the problems of water pollution. New technical and institutional solutions are also needed for low-cost water supply and sanitation in Egyptian villages.

The Netherlands will also assist in the implementation of the national programme for irrigation and groundwater protection.

Logistic hubs along Suez canal
Dutch minister Schultz van Haegen is visiting Egypt together with a trade delegation to discuss the development of new ports and logistic hubs along the Suez canal that is currently being expanded.

 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi started the expansion project  on 11 August and recently two foreign consortia have been contracted for this megaproject.

One of the consortia involves the two Dutch dredging companies Van Oord and Boskalis.

During her stay in Egypt minister Schultz van Haegen will also meet Admiral Mameesh, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority.

Also read on the website
● Boskalis-Van Oord consortium acquires Suez Canal expansion contract,  18 October 2014
● Egypt water minister Khalifa briefed on public-private partnership Dutch wwtp Harnaschpolder,  21 June 2013
● Use of brackish water for potato cultivation Egypt, 14 August 2013
● Port Said Port Master Plan, Egypt, 26 August 2013

More information
Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment
The Hague, the Netherlands
+31 70 456 00 00 
www.government.nl/ministries/ienm