Egypt has inaugurated the Hamam sewage treatment plant, the largest in the world, as part of the New Republic initiative. It’s located in the western Delta region, a significant step in Egypt’s water management strategy.
Egypt’s administration has demonstrated its resilience in the face of global economic difficulties by implementing innovative projects that have wowed the international community and highlighted Egypt’s present-day strength.
One of the biggest projects the New Republic has undertaken since President Sisi assumed office is the water desalination and agricultural drainage project, which is being carried out by an Egyptian-foreign coalition that includes Arab Contractors, Orascom, and Matito Company. The project is being led by the Delta Station.
A huge agricultural project, the Delta Station project targets sewage and rivers in the northern coast region of Hamam. A 120-kilometer pipeline will collect agricultural runoff in the northern Delta and bring it to the sewage water station, which may continuously use 7.5 million cubic meters of water for Egypt’s security.
Reclaiming and cultivating 500,000 acres in the western Delta will increase the amount of land used for agriculture in the nation east of the Western Desert and create new agricultural and population centers dependent on agriculture and manufacturing.
Furthermore, by drastically lowering pollution levels in Lake Mariout and the Mediterranean shore, the new Delta water station project hopes to make the region appropriate for development initiatives in several industries, including agriculture.
Rerouting sewage and floods that contribute to inundating interest areas in the Beheira Governorate towards the new Delta area successfully triggers the rise in elevation from the Delta’s river basin and drainage canals. The project also makes it possible to enjoy the taste of high dam irrigation water during wet seasons and floods, since the new Delta project collects this excess water.
The new Delta project, which represents a new data channel to improve true sustainability for leisure, addresses sewage water within the national energy plan “2017-2037” and a permanent strategy for water resources until 2050.
The Hamam sewage treatment plant is made up of multiple pumping stations, open channel routes, and the carrier route that transports agricultural sewage from the western Delta to the treatment facility. With 15 pumping stations and 60 kilometers of rehabilitated existing water channels, it is the largest water treatment plant in the world.
With 7.5 million cubic meters processed daily, or 2.5 billion cubic meters yearly, the Hamam water treatment plant is the largest water treatment facility in the world. This is the main amount of water that Egypt will utilize to irrigate its future project’s agricultural fields, which will be situated in the new Delta. Notably, the station processes sewage water that was previously dumped into Lake Mariout, which helps to lessen the severe pollution that Lake Mariout’s numerous sewage exits produce and lessens Egypt’s water deficit.
Because contaminated lakes result in lower fish productivity, the Hamam station helps to preserve fish wealth. 75 percent of Egypt’s fish resources are found in the northern lakes. Egypt has implemented desalination plants that purify 20,000 cubic meters per day in South Sinai and 100,000 cubic meters per day in the Matrouh and Dabaa districts.
Furthermore, in February 2019, Egypt completed the construction of the biggest desalination plant in the world in the Ain Sokhna region. This facility purifies 136,000 cubic meters of water daily, feeding the Suez Gulf’s northwest economic zone. This is on top of three additional massive facilities, located in El Galala, East Port Said, and New Alamein, each having a capacity of 150,000 cubic meters per day.
At a total cost of 9.71 billion EGP, 14 seawater desalination facilities have been built in the governorates of Matrouh, Red Sea, North Sinai, South Sinai, Port Said, Dakahlia, Suez, and Alexandria. These plants have a combined capacity of 476,000 cubic meters per day. In addition, the governorates of North Sinai, South Sinai, Red Sea, Matrouh, Ismailia, and Suez currently house 76 seawater desalination plants with a combined capacity of 831.69 thousand cubic meters per day, for a total of 90 desalination plants with a daily capacity of 1.307.69 million cubic meters.
In the governorates of Matrouh, Red Sea, North Sinai, South Sinai, Port Said, and Dakahlia, there are currently 63 operational plants with a combined production capacity of 799,000 cubic meters per day, and 19 plants are currently under construction with a combined capacity of 375,000 cubic meters per day. The total cost of these plants is estimated to be 7.9 billion EGP.
Recently, GreatGameIndia reported that as of the latest count from 2020-2021, there were 1,093 sewage treatment plants capable of handling just 26.9 billion liters of wastewater per day, indicating that only 37% of India’s wastewater is treated.
