"Sustainability of the National Industry in Water and Sanitation Services," Conference
The Alexandria Sanitary Drainage Company organized a conference titled "Sustainability of the National Industry in Water and Sanitation Services," under the auspices of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Communities, the European Union Delegation in Cairo, Alexandria Governorate, the Holding Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation, the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, the Union of Egyptian-European Business Associations, Adaa Sustainability Consulting Company, BMC Egypt Company, and Tabarak for Infrastructure Company, at the Mirag Hotel in Alexandria.
The conference was inaugurated by Major Mohamed El Sherif, Governor of Alexandria, who spoke about major projects being implemented in Alexandria, especially in infrastructure, sanitation, and their significant impact on citizens' well-being.
El Sherif pointed out that the conference comes within the framework of achieving sustainable development goals and Egypt's Vision 2030, aiming to localize and support the industry and local services in the water and sanitation sector in Egypt, and enhance the participation of the Egyptian private sector and our partners from the European Union.
Dr. Sayed Ismail, Deputy Minister of Housing, reviewed the challenges facing the water and sanitation facilities sector nationwide, as well as the plans and strategies of the sector to overcome challenges and leverage available opportunities, such as maximizing the use of available water resources, safe reuse of treated sewage water, investment in human resources, enhancing the capacity of workers, and reducing water loss through various methods such as community awareness, efficient usage, and meter installation, in addition to infrastructure renewal projects. He emphasized that Alexandria is the first city to develop a strategic plan for rainwater reuse.
Major Mahmoud Nafea, President of the Sanitary Drainage Company in Alexandria, emphasized the state's support for the sanitation system in Alexandria through several projects aimed at improving system efficiency in the eastern part of the city with six projects, and upgrading stations with a cost of 2.3 billion Egyptian pounds, in addition to the integrated strategy for rainwater management, which will be utilized and linked to the New Delta project.
He highlighted the state's direction towards relying on local industry and collaborating with Egyptian companies to achieve the best product for infrastructure projects, replacing foreign products.
Nafea noted that the conference discusses the best ways to deal with industrial sewage and directs all investors to cooperate in this field, as it is crucial for environmental preservation and one of the main roles of the Alexandria Sanitary Drainage Company.
The conference included four dialogue sessions:
- Achieving Financial Sustainability for Water and Sanitation Services Industry.
- Infrastructure Projects and the Role of Sustainable Materials and Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) Technologies.
- Technical Inspection and Quality Assurance Techniques in Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) Testing.
- Sustainable Management in Water and Sanitation: Advanced Treatment of Salts, Metals, Industrial Wastes, and Reuse of Rainwater.
The conclusion covered summaries of the sessions, key challenges, stakeholder cooperation, and immediate next steps. Additionally, a closed parallel session was held on the role of the European Union and financial institutions in supporting the financial sustainability of the public and private sectors operating in the water and sanitation industry.
A sideline exhibition showcased the latest developments in water and sanitation services, companies, and services, with participation from BMC Egypt, Tabarak for Contracting, Target Company, the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, Adaa Sustainability Consulting Company, FDA, Tourism Activation Authority, Alexandria Sanitary Drainage Company, and Alexandria Drinking Water Company. On the second day of the conference, a field visit was organized to BMC Egypt, one of the leading companies in the GRP industry, to showcase its successful experience, production stages, and advancements in the field to meet the Egyptian market's quality needs as an alternative to foreign products.
Among the attendees were Engineer Mamdouh Raslan, Chairman of the Holding Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Dr. Salah Bayoumi, Vice Chairman of the Holding Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation, General Assem Shokr, Vice Chairman of the Holding Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation, in addition to Marwa El Dreny, Chairman of Adaa Sustainability Consulting Company, Nikolaus Ziemis, Head of the Commercial Section - European Union Delegation in Egypt, Dr. Alaa Azam, Secretary-General of the Union of Egyptian-European Business Associations (CEEBA), and a group of water experts, university professors, deans, private sector company heads, businessmen, bankers, and European Union delegation members.
Sustainability of the National Industry in Water and Sanitation Services Conference