The project to build the Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant is progressing. The National Authority for Drinking Water and Sanitary Drainage (NOPWASD) of Egypt, which is implementing this project, already wishes to connect this sanitation facility to the national electricity grid. It has just received the necessary funding for the implementation of this component of the mega project for the reuse of treated wastewater in the Sinai Peninsula.
The 236 million Egyptian pounds (more than 15 million dollars) is allocated within the framework of the plan for the fiscal year 2020/2021. The Bahr Al-Baqar wastewater treatment plant is being built by Arab Contractors (Arabco) and Orascom Construction. The plant will recover the wastewater that flows along the Bahr al-Baqar drain. It meanders over 106 km, from the governorate of Dakahlia to Sharqia, and from the governorate of Ismailia to the governorate of Port Said.
The effluent that enters the drain during the journey comes from Sinai households, industries and plantations in the region. The plant that will handle this wastewater will have a capacity of 5 million m3 per day, making it the largest in Egypt and one of the largest on the African continent, if not the world. The project is mainly aimed at restoring 138,600 hectares of plantation east of the Suez Canal, through the reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation.
The future plant, whose construction will require an investment of 739 million dollars, will contribute to the Egyptian government’s policy to counter terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula through investments in sustainable infrastructure. The project is also part of the Egyptian government’s national strategy to preserve the country’s dwindling water resources.
Jean Marie Takouleu