Canadian-headquartered engineer Stantec has been picked to lead a €456.5m wastewater project in Egypt to stop sewage entering an important lake and improve access to clean water for 940,000 people in the governorate of Fayoum.
The first phase will see 21 wastewater treatment plants built or improved, and the construction of 2,334km of new sewer lines and 256km of new pressurised rising mains.
The goal is to increase access to sanitation from 32.6% of people in the governorate to 86%.
The client is the Egyptian Holding Company for Water and Wastewater. The scheme is funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, and the Egyptian government.
Fayoum is a rural region about 90km southwest of Cairo. The area is near Lake Qarun (pictured), the third largest lake in Egypt and the area’s main freshwater source.
More than half of communities are not connected to a centralised wastewater network, which means raw sewage finds its way into the lake via agricultural drains, polluting the lake and hurting fishing and tourism.
Stantec will be responsible for design services, procurement and project implementation support, a training plan, contract management and construction supervision services.
Dr. Murat Sarioglu, operations director at Stantec, said: "The Egyptian government and the development institutions have prioritized access to clean water, and we are honoured to leverage our experience and expertise in water and wastewater infrastructure engineering to provide greater access to sanitation services, support the growth of the region, and alleviate environmental and public health concerns."
Image: Lake Qarun is Egypt’s third largest lake and Fayoum’s main freshwater source (Myousry6666/CC BY-SA 4.0)
