Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sewilam, has stated that Saudi Arabia and Egypt are strengthening their cooperation in water desalination and reuse to enhance water and food security in both nations. Speaking to Al-Eqtisadiah during Saudi Water Week 2026 in Jeddah, Sewilam revealed that discussions with Saudi officials focused on expanding collaboration in desalinating water for agricultural purposes.
Solar-Powered Desalination Project on the Horizon
Sewilam highlighted that desalination for agriculture represents one of the most promising long-term solutions to water scarcity. The growing use of solar energy is helping reduce desalination costs while enabling the use of desert land and saline water for food production through advanced agricultural technologies. He expressed hope for launching a joint Saudi-Egyptian project using solar-powered desalination to support modern agriculture, with the project expected to materialize in the near future, thereby advancing sustainable development and enhancing food security.
Exchange of Expertise
The minister noted that Saudi Arabia has developed leading expertise in desalination technologies that could be leveraged in future joint projects. Meanwhile, Egypt has made significant progress in reusing agricultural drainage water, emerging as a regional model in the field. Sewilam emphasized that cooperation between the two countries is based on the exchange of expertise, with Egypt sharing its experience in water reuse and benefiting from Saudi Arabia's advances in localizing desalination technologies. This complementarity, he said, would support the implementation of strategic projects aimed at improving water security.
Egypt's Major Water Reuse Facilities
Egypt has constructed the world's two largest agricultural wastewater treatment plants: the Bahr El-Baqar plant, with a capacity of 5.6 million cubic meters per day, and the New Delta plant, with a capacity of 7.5 million cubic meters per day. Together, these facilities provide about 5.8 billion cubic meters of water annually for agricultural reuse. These figures underscore Egypt's commitment to innovative water management.
Growing Investment and Future Expansion
When asked about the scale of existing partnerships, Sewilam said he did not have specific figures available but stressed that cooperation and joint investment between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the water sector have grown steadily in recent years. He expects further expansion in the coming period, indicating a strong trajectory for bilateral collaboration in water security.
