Minister of International Cooperation (MoIC), Rania Al-Mashat, finalized a financial arrangement with the French Development Agency (AFD) worth €50 million. The agreement also includes a grant of €1.5 million, according to a statement issued by MoIC.
The purpose of this collaboration is to facilitate the completion of the third phase of the Al Gabal Al Asfar wastewater Treatment Plant.
Furthermore, Al-Mashat oversaw the signing of a separate grant agreement between the European Union (EU) and the AFD. This additional agreement amounts to €10 million. In total, the combined funding for the project reaches €61.5 million.
The primary objective of this initiative is to enhance climate change adaptation. She emphasized that water projects account for 20 percent of the development cooperation portfolio.
According to the MoIC, the third phase of the project will considerably increase the treatment capacity of the plant, enabling it to process an additional one million cubic meters of wastewater per day.
By the year 2040, the upgraded plant will be able to cater to the needs of approximately 17.5 million citizens.
The plant employs tertiary treatment technology, which allows it to produce water suitable for irrigation purposes. Additionally, it generates biogas, meeting 80 percent of its electricity requirements.
Between 2020 and 2023, the MoIC signed multiple agreements in the realm of sustainable water resource management, housing, and sanitation, amounting to a total of $1.7 billion, as per the report.
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