Qena: Governor of Qena Khaled Abdel Halim and Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation Pedro Arrojo-Agudo inspected an irrigation modernization project in Khuzam village, Qous Township.

According to State Information Service Egypt, this initiative, funded by the Dutch government, aims to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Upper Egypt by serving as a model for water and energy conservation.

The governor emphasized the project's role in promoting a shift from traditional flood irrigation to drip irrigation, coupled with the use of solar energy. The current phase of the project includes three stations, with future plans to extend coverage to the remaining canals. This expansion will be in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), focusing on farmer training to ensure self-sustained operation and maintenance.

The governor highlighted the project's success in consolidating approximately 2,700 feddans of land, directly benefiting 2,020 farmers. Furthermore, the project has implemented 198 field schools, which have provided training to 4,630 participants. The inspection was attended by representatives from the UN, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Irrigation, and several senior governorate officials.