Beni Sueif witnessed on Friday the heaviest rainfalls in 300 years, causing huge 53.40-million-cubic-metres of destructive floods that were mostly nullified by the dams of Beni Sueif, Minya, South Sinai, and the Red Sea, a statement by the ministry said.

The accumulated rainwater was collected in the artificial lakes that have been created to protect the governorate, and the excess water was diverted to the Nile River through the industrial canal of Sil-Senur Valley, Abdel-Aty explained.

The ministry has established 1,500 facilities since 2014 to confront the danger of excessive rain by providing the necessary protection, in addition to harvesting rainwater that can be used in drinking and herding by Bedouins, the statement said.

In a meeting on Wednesday to follow up on the measures taken by the ministry’s agencies in dealing with the wave of heavy rainfall that hit Beni Sueif, Minya, South Sinai, and the Red Sea on Friday and Saturday, Abdel-Aty reviewed the ongoing preparations for another expected wave on 23 and 24 February.

The forecast issued by the ministry indicated that the Nile Delta would witness light rain on Wednesday and rain of various intensities in the northwest, and light rain on the northeast on Thursday.

Consequently, the minister directed the authorities to raise the level of alertness in all the ministry’s agencies to reduce water levels in Lower Egypt in conjunction with the expected rain, follow up on the water levels in canals and drains, and to ensure the readiness of all sectors to confront any emergency.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) on Tuesday, a cold trough will hit the country, with Cairo, the southern Delta, and South Sinai expected to witness light to moderate rains, while the North Coast may witness moderate rains that can escalate to the level of a thunderstorm or even hail.