Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi warned that illegal encroachments on the Nile River have become an unprecedented issue that may require the army’s involvement if necessary.
Addressing the Egyptian Minister of Defense, Mohamed Zaki, he said that the army and all equipments shall be deployed if necessary to ensure that the state’s bridges return to working order.
“Encroachment on agricultural land is not allowed at all,” he warned, “The governorate, the Ministry of Irrigation and the Director of Security have to follow up in order to stop and prevent the encroachments, within six months, and if necessary, the army will descend.”
Sisi stressed that stopping encroachments on agricultural lands represents a national security issue, as a large number of Egyptians work in the agricultural sector, “either we achieve self-sufficiency or we import in dollars, which represents a burden on the national economy.”
This came in President Sisi’s intervention today, Monday, commenting on the speech of the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Mr. Al-Qusayr, during the inauguration of the Bahr Al-Baqar water treatment plant, which is the largest of its kind in the world.
Egypt has been highly dependent on the Nile River since ancient times. The river provides 90% of its water needs and the Nile River Basin is home to half of the country’s 101 million people.
However, population growth, weaker flows because of climate change and general mismanagement means that Egypt faces an annual water deficit of more than 20 billion cubic metres.
The shortage is having economic and social impacts. The government’s 2018 decision to reduce the amount of land devoted to rice growing from 1.1 million acres to 750,000 acres in an attempt to save water caused much economic disruption.
The viability of Egyptian agriculture, responsible for 12% of the country’s GDP, is clearly under threat as rural masses head to growing slums in already overcrowded cities.
President Sisi said, “The volume of water that reaches Egypt is not much, or it will not change, and therefore we must improve the quality and efficiency of irrigation systems,” stressing that developing the agricultural sector enables Egypt to achieve self-sufficiency and reduce imports, and the agricultural area will increase thanks to Egyptians’ good use of water.
Sisi pointed out that the cost of lining canals amounts to 80 billion pounds, and the government will not bear this cost on farmers, but rather aims to improve water access to agricultural lands, so that its production does not decrease and farms lose, and therefore the government works for the benefit of citizens.
The President stressed, “We are all working for the interest of the country, so that it takes a better position than it is now,” noting that “any negative practices will not be acceptable and we will not condone them.”
President Sisi called on every official in Egypt, whether the governor, the director of security or others, not to remain silent about any mistake in the interest of the country. The president continued, “between me and corruption there is a rivalry,” stressing that the nation-building is done with seriousness, discipline and commitment.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.