Egypt and Bahrain seek joint desalination projects

Egypt's water resources and irrigation ministry told Egyptian news site Bikya Masr on 28 September 2010 that Mohamed bin Ali al-Hodar, the official in charge of water and electricity in Bahrain, met Egypt's minister of water resources, Mohamed Nasr al-Din Allam, earlier in September in Cairo to discuss cooperation between the two countries on a number of fronts, with desalination taking the lead. 

"We believe that the future water shortages can be greatly curtailed with action on the desalination front," said Ahmed Hegazy, a spokesman for the Egyptian ministry. He told Bikya Masr that through this potential partnership, "Egypt and Bahrain can act now before the situation becomes worse." 

The two sides agreed to hold training courses in Egypt and Bahrain on water management. Hegazy said his ministry plans to send an Egyptian delegation in the near future to Bahrain to get acquainted with the country's expertise in desalination and groundwater.