Egypt: Second National Drainage Project [Additional Financing]

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved last 23 March 2010 a loan for Egypt in the amount of $ 30 million as additional financing for the Second National Drainage Project.  

$30 million to increase the agriculture productivity of irrigated lands through improved drainage and the provision of subsurface drains to all irrigated areas. The project will help avoid yield and production losses that result from water logging and soil salinity problems.

The project aims to support the Government of Egypt's (GoE) efforts to increase the agriculture productivity of irrigated lands through the improved drainage of agricultural lands and the provision of all irrigated areas with subsurface drains.

The main objectives of the original project and of the additional financing project are to: a) increase the agriculture productivity of irrigated lands by improving drainage conditions through evacuation of excess irrigation water by subsurface drains; and b) to avoid yield and production losses on this land, which would result if water logging and soil salinity problems were to persist.

The original Second National Drainage Project - NDP II (2000 -2008) was financed by about US$ 143.6 million from the World Bank, KFW, and the European Investment Bank, and a grant from the Netherlands in addition to Government contribution.

The Project managed to install sub-surface drains in about 0.91 million feddans and remodeling of open drains, where needed, of about 0.44 million feddans as well as building institutional capacity of the implementing agency. 

Additional information on the World Bank Program in Egypt is available on: www.worldbank.org/eg