Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazy said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has assigned the government to set a timetable for the completion of the Al-Salam Canal project to supply fresh water to Sinai.
He also said in a press statement on Tuesday that the culvert of the New Suez Canal is an extension of the ancient Serapeum culvert. “It costs LE175 million and provides enough water to reclaim 70,000 acres in Sinai,” he said. “These will be increased to 100,000 acres in the second stage.”
The minister also talked about agricultural projects east of the Suez Canal to integrate with other logistic projects that will start after the opening of the new channel.
He said the Agriculture Ministry is providing regular irrigation systems for the greenhouses of the Al-Amal village, which is a model of the million-acre project in Sinai.
He said the ministry will encourage crops that take the least water and yield highest returns, especially crops for export and others that meet the local needs of the people of Sinai.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
