The New Cairo Wastewater Treatment Plant (Egypt)

At the beginning of this century, a drinking water shortage was identified as a pressing issue in Egypt’s environment sustainability, particularly in densely populated areas. The existing wastewater treatment infrastructure did not produce water with adequate quality to use for agricultural and urban green area irrigation, meaning fresh water had to be used instead. Therefore, the government decided to build new infrastructures to reuse urban wastewater for the mentioned purposes, reducing fresh water use. One example of this situation was in New Cairo, a city created in the southeastern part of Cairo in 2000 in a former desert area, to ease the problems of an overcrowded capital. One of the main challenges faced by the city was the shortage of drinking water due to the harsh environmental conditions.