Engineer Sherif El-Sherbiny, the Minister of Housing, reviewed the achievements of Egypt’s drinking water and sanitation sector from 2014 to June 2025. He pointed out that Egypt has witnessed a remarkable transformation in infrastructure projects, with around 5,100 projects completed at a total cost of EGP 671 billion. These include 1,919 drinking water projects costing EGP 275.8 billion and 3,181 sanitation projects costing EGP 394.6 billion. Among the completed ventures are the major treatment plants of Al-Mahsama and Bahr El-Baqar.
As a result of these efforts, the coverage of drinking water services increased from 95% in 2014 to 99% in 2025. Urban sanitation coverage rose from 79% to 96%, while rural sanitation services expanded significantly from 12% to 60%. Furthermore, 602 wastewater treatment plants were established, and the lengths of water and wastewater networks grew substantially.
The Minister announced the implementation of a strategic plan aimed at rationalizing water consumption and maximizing the use of water resources. The plan involves multiple axes, including increasing the capacity of desalination plants from 84,000 m³/day in 2014 to 1.35 million m³/day. Additionally, the number of treatment plants has been expanded to 893, with a total capacity of 23.3 million m³/day. The plan also targets the reuse of 37.4 million m³/day of agricultural drainage water.
The Minister also highlighted efforts to reduce losses in drinking water, including the supply of 5 million water-saving fixtures, the expansion of prepaid water meter installations, and public awareness campaigns. Efforts are also underway to utilize sludge from wastewater treatment to generate electricity, enhance service provider performance, monitor water quality, and improve workforce efficiency in the sector.