Sisi Orders Armed Forces to Finalize 100,000-Feddan Land Reclamation Project by June 30

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi instructed on Saturday the Armed Forces Engineering Authority to complete the infrastructure necessary for a 100,000-feddan land reclamation project by June 30.

Sisi was addressing the authority's chairman Lt. General Ihab El-Far, who was giving a speech at the inauguration ceremony of several national projects nationwide, including the El Fayrouz fish farming project in East of El Tafreah in Port Said.

[caption id="attachment_205580" align="aligncenter" width="960"] The President Inaugurates The Project[/caption]

"Egypt is working on multiple projects at the same time, and no project should be delayed at the expense of another; for instance, the authority is tasked with establishing 500,000 housing units within 18 months. These units must be handed over on time," Sisi said.

Regarding the water resources needed for agricultural and land reclamation projects, Sisi stressed that the state does not infringe upon other parties' water rights, rather it is engaged in a major irrigation canal lining project to save about 2-3 billion cubic meters of water.

[caption id="attachment_205583" align="aligncenter" width="960"] President Sisi Inspects El Fayrouz Fish Farm Project[/caption]

He noted that one-third of that amount if properly used could be utilized for operating water treatment plants with a daily capacity of 6 million cubic meters that could be used for irrigating nearly 4,000 feddans.

The president revealed that six new treatment plants would also be established with 1 million cubic meter capacity, and each will have a desalination unit to reduce salinity levels.

[caption id="attachment_205585" align="aligncenter" width="960"] The President[/caption]

He also noted that the East Port Said and East of Al Tafreah development projects were put forward a decade and a half ago, but they were not implemented due to soil nature, which needs to be improved at a cost of EGP 25 billion.

The state is also making great effort to improve citizens' lives around Lake Manzala, which have seen many encroachments over the past 20 years, and support aquaculture projects, the president pointed out, highlighting the clean-up and dredging operations carried out to boost the lake fish production.

Moreover, he revealed that a new project is underway for treating the amount of water discharged into seas or lakes, including Lake Manzalah, adding that a part of which will be carried to Sinai for development purposes.