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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 -10 February 1999 Issue No. 415 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 4 -10 February 1999 Issue No. 415
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Book Fair Economy Opinion Culture Features Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Future stakes
By Maye OstowaniThe words "long live Egypt, long live Mubarak" rang out in the Fair's German Hall on Tuesday at the opening of a seminar entitled "The young speak and the older listen." After opening statements by guest speakers Agriculture Minister Youssef Wali and Minister of Public Works and Water Resources Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the floor was opened to questions by the young men and women who filled the large hall.
Wali spoke of Egypt's mega development projects in Suez and Port Said, but mainly focused on those in the "Southern Valley" that he said not only encompass agriculture, but tourism, petroleum, housing and electrical infrastructure as well. He named Toshka, Darb Al-Arbe'in and East of Owainat -- all in the Southern Valley--as the largest and most important projects that will usher Egypt into the 21st century.
In Toshka, some 540,000 feddans will be cultivated around a main canal that branches into four smaller canals. The main pumping station will deliver about 25 million cubic metres of water a day from the Aswan High Dam lake. In addition, the crop structures that will be planted allow for the choice of crops that yield the highest output and require the least amount of water. As for Darb Al-Arbe'in, Wali said, there are some 80 wells that will allow for villages to spring up around them and be self-sufficient. He said that President Hosni Mubarak has already housed the first group of people in the first village.
According to Wali, the East of Owainat project will provide some 200,000 feddans with subterranean water reserves with a degree of purity nearing that of the River Nile. Wali added that what makes this particular project unique is an airport that has been built in the area with a 3.5-kilometre-long runway which allows for the landing of planes of the largest size. This year alone, said Wali, there was an increase in the East of Owainat project crop output. The surplus was exported directly from the location to the United Kingdom. The first phase of the project has been so successful that owners managed to earn back the price of the land after selling the produce of one crop only.
According to Abu Zeid, Egypt has never witnessed as much growth and prosperity as it does today. "Agriculture is the basis of all growth and prosperity," he said. During Mubarak's tenure, "the Egyptian government has thought seriously and planned national projects carefully for the future of this nation's youths," he said. The projects, which should be completed by the year 2017, cover an area that amounts to 25 per cent of Egyptian soil outside the Nile Valley. Together with projects along the banks of the Nile, they total 3.4 million acres.
"The Egyptian government gives priority to these projects' implementation and providing them with the necessary water resources," said Abu Zeid. The Nile's water is the main source but Egypt's share of this water is limited as nine other littoral states rely on it as well. The volume of water irrigating the Nile basin amounts to approximately 1,600 billion cubic metres per year. Of that, some 84 - 90 billion is used, which means that 92 per cent of the water is lost for some reason or the other.
"The idea is not to increase Egypt's share of the water but to find alternative water resources," said Abu Zeid. "We have to learn to use the water we have more efficiently and economically by developing irrigation techniques and growing improved crops," he added.
There are several national projects to develop and improve water usage, including the use of more subterranean water reserves and improving water recycling. At present, some five billion cubic metres of water are recycled.
Asked whether there are fears that Egypt's share of water may be threatened due to its cooperation with countries like Israel and other Arab and non-Arab countries, Abu Zeid stated that there are strict international laws that protect each country's share. In addition, he said, Egypt helps and cooperates with many of the littoral states, such as Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. Fears that the construction of dams in a country like Ethiopia may decrease Egypt's share of Nile water are unfounded because Ethiopia relies more heavily on seasonal rainfall than on the Nile's water, he said.
"These national projects will most certainly bring about major benefits and provide services and job opportunities for the long term good of Egypt," said Abu Zeid. He cited the Toshka project which has turned nearby Abu Simbel into a modern city with roads, electricity, telephone networks, transport and all other major services.
Today, Egypt has a 55 per cent self-sufficiency rate in cotton and wheat. This year alone has seen the export of some 2 million tons of cotton. In addition, Egypt has become the No 1 producer of rice in the world.
In concluding, the guest speakers agreed with President Mubarak who has frequently been quoted as saying: "All development projects are for the sake of the youths."
