The government of Egypt has allocated US $13m to water and sanitation services in the governorates of Assiut and the New Valley. Mohamed Salah El-Din Abdel Ghaffar, the CEO of the Assiut and New Valley Drinking Water and Sanitation Company confirmed the report and said that the funding be used to implement the second phase of the “Decent Living” initiative underway in this North African country.
Decent Life initiative
The “Decent Life” project was launched in January 2019 by the President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi with the aim of improving the living conditions of low-income communities, economically, socially and environmentally.
Phase one of the project which was implemented in the governorates of Assiut and the New Valley provided drinking water and sanitation services in 60 villages. Phase two works will see an extension of the the drinking water network in the localities of the governorate of Assiut; notably Abnoub, Badari, Salim Coast, Sadfa, Qusiya, Manfalut and the Centre of Assiut.
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The project includes rehabilitation and drilling of 36 wells using a mechanical drilling rig, in all the artesian water stations of the governorate. Different types of centrifugal pumps and their accessories, as well as 200 submersible pumps will also be installed in the governorate. This will approximately cost US $10m
The US $3m balance will be used to finance drilling of six wells in the centre of the New Valley Governorate (Kharga, Dakhla, and Farafra), the installation of 10 submersible pumps and the laying of 113 km of six-inch diameter water pipes.
In addition to implementing the sanitation projects Mohamed Salah El-Din Abdel Ghaffar said that 53 villages in the governorate of Assiut have been equipped with 35.1 km of water pipes and 35 wells. The seven remaining villages in the New Valley governorate have been equipped with 64 km of pipes and six water wells.