The Minister of Irrigation discusses the state of the water system during the current winter cropping season

The Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Dr. Hani Sweilem, discussed with a number of the ministry’s leaders the state of the water system during the current winter cropping season, and preparations for the period of maximum water needs “the summer season of 2025”.

The meeting took place during the meeting. Reviewing the measures taken during the winter planting season, such as following up on canal clearings, maintaining lifting stations, sanding and painting iron works in water facilities, dredging the stations’ suction basins, and forming Committees were formed to visit the General Departments of Irrigation during the winter planting season.

During the meeting, the preparedness position for the winter dam period in the General Departments of Irrigation was also presented, during which disinfection works for canals, basins and stations will be carried out, 1565 gates will be maintained, and covers, culverts and groves will be cleaned and maintained. And below the bridges, there are 671 structures.

The efforts of the Central Administration for Water Affairs in monitoring the levels and behavior of the canal network were reviewed. Around the clock, making appropriate water decisions to achieve the balance of the network and achieve the necessary levels and actions for all water needs, with periodic traffic to follow up on the implementation of shifts, measure actions, monitor any obstacles to water flow, and ensure safe levels in front of the intakes of drinking stations and power stations, especially during the current winter season, and coordination with Irrigation departments to renew level monitoring marbles, maintain telemetric devices, and monitor the readiness of emergency spillways and control facilities to deal with the rainy and stormy season.

The vision of preparing for the upcoming season of greatest needs was also discussed and presented in light of the success achieved in managing the season of greatest needs for the year 2024. With regard to preparing for the upcoming summer season, Dr. Sweilem directed the intensification of efforts to deal effectively and quickly with hot spots in the water system during the next summer season through continuous inspection and follow-up to determine the necessary needs to resolve any challenges in these points “cleansings” “Maintenance of stations – … others”, with officials from the Central Administration for Watercourse Maintenance following up on the implementation of the plan to deal with hot spots in coordination with the general departments of irrigation.

During the meeting, the position of the electronic system for canal disinfections was reviewed, which includes the position of contracts. Canal disinfections in the general irrigation departments during the current water year 2024-2025, as the Minister of Irrigation directed the necessity of completing all disinfections by a maximum of next April to ensure the readiness of all canals before the period of maximum needs, while continuing Readiness to carry out any urgent disinfection work during the period of greatest needs, which is witnessing a large growth of aquatic weeds in some locations as a result of high temperatures during the summer.

Swailem stressed the importance of this electronic system that enables decision makers in the ministry to follow up on implementation rates. And evaluate the performance levels of contractors carrying out disinfection work, directed that all public irrigation departments enter into all orders issued for the ongoing disinfection operations no later than the end of January 2025, and that the technical inspection sector undertake The financial and administrative departments followed up on the entry of all disinfection orders, and the Central Administration for Watercourses Maintenance prepared an urgent report regarding the development of mechanisms for maintaining canals and removing weeds while preserving canal bridges.

The report of the technical, financial and administrative inspection sector was reviewed regarding the position of the irrigation departments’ commitment. By applying shifts on canals, as Sweilem stressed the need for every irrigation department to commit to applying the shift schedules set for canals, to ensure that all beneficiaries get their water needs without affecting Negatively affecting any beneficiary.

The efforts of the Central Administration for Maintenance of Waterways were also reviewed in the field of following up on disinfections, maintaining mixing stations, maintaining gates, and preventive maintenance. The meeting also reviewed the readiness of the water guidance departments affiliated with the irrigation development sector during the upcoming summer season by activating community participation in the management of water resources through water user associations, so that the links participate with the Ministry of Irrigation agencies in managing and distributing shifts among beneficiaries at the level of waterways and canals and resolving problems. related to shift roles, coordinating with the Ministry of Agriculture’s agencies regarding the beneficiaries’ cleansing of waterways, participating in raising awareness about not growing rice in areas not authorized for its cultivation, and following up on links for maintenance work. Lifting units belonging to the links, as well as periodic maintenance of the developed waterways.

The Minister directed that the Irrigation Development Sector, in coordination with the relevant Ministry of Agriculture agencies and the heads of the central departments of water resources and irrigation in the governorates, quickly prepare an accurate inventory of the lengths of the waterways within the scope of the general irrigation departments and determine the target. Clearing it to ensure that the season of greatest needs enters easily and that there are no problems in delivering water to the lands through private canals in which obstacles to the flow of water have not been removed.

He also directed the preparation of a sector.

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