E
gypt’s ambitious New Delta Project — often dubbed the world’s “largest artificial river” — is a 114 km conveyance and irrigation canal system supported by the Al-Hammam Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest agricultural drainage water treatment facility globally, processing 7.5 million m³/day. This integrated system is designed to reclaim nearly 2.2 million feddans (9,240 km²) of Western Desert land, using treated drainage water and saline groundwater rather than direct Nile extraction. The project marks a turning point for the Egypt Artificial River Pump Industry, creating demand for hundreds of high-capacity pumps essential for operation and maintenance.
Canal Design and Treatment Integration
The Al-Hammam Canal includes 22 km of buried pipelines and open lined channels to transport recycled water from northern Delta drains, treated at the New Delta Wastewater Treatment Plant. Built by Orascom, Arab Contractors, Hassan Allam, and Metito, it spans 32 hectares and uses modular, scalable treatment units to handle massive daily volumes.
Once lifted and distributed via the canal, the water will irrigate 2.2 million feddans, boosting agricultural output and reducing food imports. The system’s slip-form concrete lining and hydraulic optimization minimize seepage and evaporation, vital for sustainability and efficiency.
Pumping Infrastructure: Scale and Technical Demands
This artificial river relies on 30 pumping stations to move water across elevation changes, each handling 7–10 million m³/day. Heavy-duty vertical turbine pumps drive these flows.
In 2024, Japan’s Torishima Corporation won a major order for 75 pumps for nine stations (serving 400,000 feddans). Torishima and Elsewedy Industrial Development also launched a $5M service center in SCZone for maintenance and support.
Suppliers like Grundfos, Sulzer, and KSB are expected to play key roles in subsequent phases, underscoring how the Egypt Artificial River Pump Industry is expanding rapidly.
Engineering and Operational Expertise
The project integrates:
- Slip-form concrete channels for durability.
- SCADA-enabled monitoring systems for real-time pump and water quality oversight.
- Energy-efficient, hybrid-powered pumping systems to cut costs and emissions.
The New Delta Wastewater Treatment Plant uses biological and chemical treatment technologies to make recycled water viable for agriculture, with modular scalability to meet rising demands. (Learn about Egypt’s water strategy)
Impact on the Global Pump Industry
The artificial river is transforming the Egypt Artificial River Pump Industry:
- Massive demand for vertical turbine pumps.
- Growth in spare parts, installation, and long-term contracts.
- Innovation in corrosion-resistant materials and energy-saving tech.
Egypt now ranks among the largest markets for irrigation and reclamation pump infrastructure worldwide.
Operational Challenges and Sustainability
Key challenges include:
- Sedimentation control requiring constant dredging.
- Corrosion from salinity, demanding advanced alloys.
- High fuel use, prompting renewable energy retrofits.
- Need for skilled local labor to maintain SCADA and pumps.
Addressing these issues is crucial for sustainability and reliability.
Call to Collaboration
Egypt’s artificial river is more than a canal — it is a benchmark in integrated water and pump infrastructure. Combining treatment, pumping, and monitoring technologies, it serves as a model for water management in arid regions.
For the pump industry, it offers multi-year growth through equipment, innovation, and services. For investors and policymakers, it showcases the value of funding large-scale, sustainable water projects.
We invite governments, investors, and industry leaders to collaborate, fund, and innovate to ensure Africa’s water-secure future.
