Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam affirmed the continued monitoring by the Nile River Protection and Development Sector to safeguard the Nile River and its two branches, stressing the immediate removal of any encroachments on the river course or its floodplain lands. The minister made the remarks after receiving a report from Head of the Nile River Protection and Development Sector Hossam Taher on ongoing removal operations targeting encroachments along the main Nile River and the Rosetta Branch within Giza governorate, as part of the National Project for Regulating the Nile River and its Branches, Egypt’s “Irrigation 2.0” modernization. These efforts were undertaken in coordination with the Committee for Rectifying Situations on Nile Floodplain Lands at the Shubra–Helwan sector, security authorities, and Giza Governorate. The report added that previous removal campaigns along the Rosetta Branch resulted in the clearance of 339 cases of illegal construction. The National Nile Regulation Project aims to restore the river’s hydraulic capacity to address water and climate challenges and to remove all encroachments.

Source: Egypt Independent February 19, 2026 12:19 UTC