The Egyptian Ministry of Environment is requiring an advanced water treatment plant for the Jirian City project in 6 October City, an informed source from the New Urban Communities Authority told Al Manassa. This condition aims to ensure potable water for the city’s future residents and address concerns about potential pollution from wastewater drainage into the extension of the Nile’s Rosetta Branch.
In early June, the government, represented by the Future of Egypt Sustainable Development Authority, signed development contracts for Jirian City with a private-sector consortium including Palm Hills, Mountain View, and Nations of Sky.
Despite being marketed under the slogan “An apartment on the Nile in Sheikh Zayed,” observers warned against wasting water in a residential project. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, however, responded by stating that the water supply has been planned from the outset as part of a broader strategy to reclaim land equivalent in area to four or five governorates. Revenues from the residential development would be utilized to serve the agricultural project.
“Establishing the residential project necessitates meticulous water treatment before use,” the source told Al Manassa on condition of anonymity.
Abbas Sharaky, professor of geology and water resources at Cairo University, echoed these concerns, stating “Solving the water pollution problem in Jirian requires massive investments.”
“The city’s elevation is roughly 100 meters above the water source, requiring multiple pumping stations in addition to treatment plants and general construction costs,” Sharaky explained.
Although Madbouly emphasized the project’s high returns due to its prime Nile view, the government has not disclosed its share of infrastructure costs in the public-private partnership. It did state that the estimated investment and returns are projected to reach 1.5 trillion Egyptian pounds.
The New Urban Communities Authority source agreed with Sharaky’s assessment of high costs, but remained optimistic: “The returns will cover all implementation costs and generate substantial profit thanks to the project’s strategic Nile-side location.”
Launched in 2021, the New Delta Project relies in part on extending a new Nile branch from the Rosetta branch into the Western Desert. Treated agricultural wastewater is a key water source for this effort. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi previously noted that the water treatment costs for the New Delta are “very high.”
