The New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) approved a decision to allocate alternative plots for the relocated residents to construct new homes in the New 6th of October and Hadayek October cities, El-Gazzar added during a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and other state officials.

The government has also earmarked monetary compensation for the residents who will be relocated, added El-Gazzar.

The urban redevelopment project of the 1,295 feddan Warraq Island, located in the Nile River north of downtown Cairo, has caused tension between the government and the over 90,000 residents of the island, who were concerned about being forcibly evicted from their homes.

The government has maintained that residents will not be forcibly evicted and that they will receive adequate compensation.

The government is "keen on ensuring that the residents of Warraq receive proper compensation, including alternative housing units or monetary compensation", ​stressed PM Madbouly.

At the meeting, Osama Shawky, the head of the New Warraq Island Development Authority, reported that the NUCA has secured possession of 919 feddans, or 71 percent of the total area of the island, including 851 feddans previously occupied by residents.

The NUCA plans to construct 94 high-rises comprising 4,092 housing units, and work is underway to construct another 50 high-rises comprising 2,184 housing units.