Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilam has met the Czech ambassador to Egypt, Ivan Gokl, to discuss bilateral cooperation in water resources.
The Egyptian minister hailed the “constructive cooperation between Egypt and Czechia in the past years”, according to an Egyptian cabinet statement on Thursday. Russia Tractors Mtz Water Pump 240-1307015
He further affirmed the “country’s wish for this cooperation to continue and be reinforced in the coming period”.
For his part, the ambassador noted that his country is keen to cooperate with Cairo in all fields, including water resources.
Egypt suffers a deficit in water resources with an estimated need of 114 billion cubic meters, while the resources total 74 billion cubic meters, according to official data.
The Egyptian government seeks to diversify water resources through seawater desalination and consumption rationalization to fight the water scarcity risks.
The Egyptian minister and the Czech ambassador discussed the transfer of Czech expertise to the Egyptians in manufacturing pump units’ spare parts as well as the construction of a maintenance center to carry out urgent maintenance of the pump units in cooperation with the Czech side.
They also touched on the coordination in the research field through the National Water Research Center (affiliated with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation) and the Czech universities and research centers.
The aspects of coordination include water treatment, desalination, modern and smart irrigation, and studies to enhance the efficiency of pumps and cooling systems, in addition to the Czech offering training courses for the experts at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the National Water Research Center.
For his part, Sweilam showcased on Thursday his country’s efforts to put the water issue at the core of international climate action through the fifth edition of Cairo Water Week and COP27.
He further called on Czechia to support the Action on Water, Adaptation, and Resilience (AWARe) international initiative, which was launched by Egypt during COP27 in Sharm Sheikh.
Egypt relies on the Nile River in securing 97 percent of its water resources. The country’s annual share of the Nile River is 55.5 billion cubic meters.
There is an ongoing dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia because of the Renaissance Dam which Ethiopia built on the main tributary of the Nile River. Egypt fears that the GERD will have a negative impact on the country's water supply.
Supplies of food to southern Gaza are at risk after Israel extended its military operations and those displaced by the offensive there face a public health crisis, a senior United Nations official said on Friday.
While hunger and the risk of famine has been most acute in northern Gaza in recent months, the situation is now deteriorating in the south, said Carl Skau, deputy director of the UN World Food Program.
The main pipeline for aid earlier in the eight-month-old war was from Egypt into southern Gaza, but this was largely cut off when Israel expanded its campaign in the city of Rafah, where much of Gaza's population was sheltering, from early May.
"We had stocked up before the operation in Rafah so that we had put food into the hands of people, but that's beginning to run out and we don't have the same access that we need, that we used to have," Skau said after a two-day trip to Gaza.
When Israel advanced in Rafah, many of those who had taken refuge there were displaced again northwards and towards an evacuation zone in Al-Mawasi, an area on the coast.
"It's a displacement crisis that brings a protection catastrophe really, that a million or so people who have been pushed out of Rafah are now really crammed into a small space along the beach," said Skau.
"It's hot, the sanitation situation is just terrible. We were driving through rivers of sewage. And it's a public health crisis in the making."
Distribution of aid has been hampered by military operations, delayed Israeli authorizations and increasing lawlessness within Gaza.
Skau said that although more food was reaching northern Gaza, basic healthcare, water and sanitation was needed to "turn the curve in the north on famine completely". Israel needed to let more healthcare goods into Gaza, he said.
Israel says it puts no limit on humanitarian supplies for civilians in Gaza and has blamed the United Nations for slow or inefficient deliveries.
The war began when Hamas fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting some 250 others, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's response has left more than 37,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza health officials, and reduced much of the Hamas-ruled territory to ruins.
Skau said he was taken aback by the level of destruction, and said Gazans had been worn down by conflict.
Mtz Water Pump 260-1307116м "When I was there in December, they were angry, frustrated. There was tension," he said. "Now I more felt that people were tired, they were fed up. They just want this to be over with."
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