Irrigation ministry: Cleaning up old Dairut Barrages, installing iron gates

Minister of Irrigation and Water resources Hany Sewilam said the ministry has removed garbage that piled up in old Dairut Barrages, in the Upper Egyptian Governorate of Assiut and installed new iron gates to keep the place clean and protect it from pollution.

In statements Sunday, the minister of irrigation and water resources said the ministry - as part of its societal role in support of Dairut citizens - embarked upon upgrading the barrages, with a view to preserving the image of the ancient water irrigation facility, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Dairut municipality and a Japanese company. 

The old Dairut barrages are considered one of the oldest water diversion structures worldwide, as they were constructed in 1872 and consist of seven barrages that serve 1.5 million feddans across five governorates — Assiut, Minya, Beni Sueif, Fayyoum and Giza.

All efforts implemented are meant to increase the capacity of the water system nationwide.

Meantime, the minister received a report from head of the Barrages and Reservoirs Department Ehab el-Gohary posting him on work flow at the New Dairut Barrage.

The project's implementation rate exceeds above 15% up to date, Sewilam said.