The president's directives came during a meeting on Wednesday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Sherif El-Sherbiny, and Major General Ahmed El-Azzazi, head of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, the president was briefed on the progress of projects under the first phase of the Decent Life Initiative for the development of the Egyptian countryside, particularly those concerning the construction of water and sewage treatment facilities and networks in targeted villages.
During the meeting, El-Sisi also emphasized the importance of completing these projects within the specified timelines.
Introduced by El-Sisi in January 2019, the Decent Life Initiative aims to improve the quality of life of Egypt's most vulnerable citizens by enhancing basic daily services in rural areas.
The initiative's first stage serves 28 million citizens in 1,477 villages. According to the plan, its second stage should cover 1,670 villages and provide services for some 20 million citizens.
In March, PM Madbouly said the cabinet would hold biweekly meetings to monitor the initiative's progress on completing the first phase and prepare for launching the second in fiscal year (FY) 2025/2026.
Meanwhile, El-Shennawy said the president also reviewed the progress in implementing the seawater desalination strategic plan.
Speaking of the plan, the housing minister began by underscoring the state's efforts in that respect since 2014.
He noted that desalination plants have been established in Marsa Matrouh, Beheira, South Sinai, Red Sea, Port Said, and Alexandria as part of five related five-year plans that extend through 2050.
In addition, the president stressed the need to enhance the efficiency of existing plants to maximize benefits and the need to localize the desalination plants industry.
Egypt suffers from a severe water shortage. While it requires 114 billion cubic metres, it has access to approximately 60 billion cubic metres annually, including 21 billion cubic metres of reused water.
According to government figures, Egypt's per capita water availability has fallen to 500 cubic metres annually. This is far below the UN's 1,000 cubic metres per person threshold for water scarcity.
In March, Egypt signed a cooperation protocol with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to include the Ain Sokhna Seawater Desalination Plant in the country's national Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy (NWFE) programme. The plant will produce one million cubic metres of clean water daily to meet the water needs of existing and future industrial projects, including green hydrogen initiatives.
Moreover, the presidential spokesperson noted that El-Sisi was also briefed on the progress of several development projects and urban development plans for the northwestern coast.
These projects include developing the Marina Tourist Centre, the Marina 8 project, the archaeological area in Marina, and the strategic plan for the West Ras El-Hekma area and New Alamein City.
The president was also briefed on other Ministry of Housing projects, including launching phase 10 of the Beit El-Watan Initiative for Egyptians abroad. He also reviewed the government's steps to increase the number of land plots offered to meet citizens' needs.
Furthermore, El-Sisi reviewed the progress on the Your Home in Egypt initiative.
He also reviewed the management mechanisms for public parks in Cairo. The spokesman noted that the discussions included leveraging international best practices for green space management and development and promoting investment-related activities in these areas.
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