Egypt’s
Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam met with Marwan
Al-Raqad, Executive Director of the Islamic Network on Water Resources
Development and Management under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),
to discuss ways of strengthening cooperation in water management, the ministry
said in a statement.
During the meeting,
Al-Raqad conveyed greetings from El-Hassan bin Talal. Sewilam affirmed Egypt’s
readiness to broaden technical and research collaboration with the network,
particularly in initiatives aimed at improving water-use efficiency and
promoting sustainable resource management.
The two sides
reviewed arrangements to host a regional branch office of the Islamic network
in Cairo, following a cooperation protocol signed in October 2025 during Cairo
Water Week. The planned office is expected to serve as a hub for research and
technical support, capacity-building programs, policy development, and climate
adaptation strategies in the water sector across member states.
Discussions also
covered preparations for a proposed rainwater harvesting project in Wadi Feiran
in South Sinai. The initiative envisages the construction of 50 mountain lakes
to reduce flash flood risks and provide freshwater resources for local Bedouin
communities, in coordination with donor agencies.
In addition, the
meeting addressed opportunities for enhanced cooperation in training and
capacity building in areas, such as water management, treatment and reuse
technologies, and implementation of the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE)
Nexus approach to advance integrated and sustainable resource management.
Source: Daily News Egypt