Project News

Based on the results of the First Project Management Committee on 26 November, 2012, the Project for Strengthening Water Management Transfer (SWMT) implemented the field surveys for selection of the pilot sites in the five project sites (Ray 1, Sinnoris, Beni Ebeid, Bahr El Nour and Rash El Gharbi) of the Water Management Improvement Project II (WMIP2) and in ten sites which were recommended by each General Directorate of Irrigation Advisory Service (GDIAS) from 10 December, 2012 to 9 January, 2013.

The five project sites of the WMIP 2 were firstly visited and surveyed to see their current situations and check relevancy of the selection criteria, while the ten sites recommended by the GDIAS were later surveyed. In every site, the Project Team visited the relevant stakeholders including the GDIAS and the BCWUA, and collected information on the current situations of the branch canals and the BCWUA by following the selection criteria of pilot sites.

In the five project sites of the WMIP 2, the Project Team visited the sites at which the Joint Repair Work (JRW) had been implemented, and surveyed the intakes and the lined canals which were rehabilitated by the JRW. It was fortunately observed that most of the BCWUAs which participated in the JRW of the WMIP 2 have been still eagerly working for maintenance of the branch canals and environmental activities.

Field survey in Ray 1 (East Delta).

Regarding the sites recommended by the GDIAS, it was confirmed that most of them are facing problems on shortage or imperfect maintenance of water as well as on environment such as illegal garbage dumping in the canal. However it was found that the BCWUAs are eagerly working to solve those problems in cooperation with the local stakeholders including the community people, the GDIAS and the district irrigation office. Furthermore, in most of the sites that the Project Team visited, the BCWUA representatives earnestly requested the Project Team to select their sites as the pilot sites so that they can work to solve the water and environmental problems with the SWMT Project.

Results of these field surveys will be discussed in the second project management committee, and the pilot sites of the SWMT Project will be officially decided in the Kick-off Meeting in this February. Thanks to the full support by the CDIAS as the main counterpart of the SWMT Project as well as by the GDIAS and BCWUA, the Project Team could complete all the field surveys successfully. We cordially thank them for their full cooperation to the field surveys and all members of the Project Team will continuously do our best for success of the the SWMT Project.

Field survey in Sinnoris (Fayoum).

Field survey in Tanta.

Landscape in Beni Ebeid (Minya).

Branch canal in Damanhur.