Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the German Authority for Cultural Exchange (DAAD), organized a dialogue session with the participation of Dr. Hani Swailem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, on scientific research in the fields of water and sustainable agriculture.
Sweilem thanked the German Authority for Cultural Exchange for its prominent role in raising the capabilities of researchers and workers in the field of water, indicating his desire to increase this role in the future to provide the opportunity for young researchers of the National Water Research Center and the Ministry’s engineers for training and rehabilitation, while strengthening cooperation between the German Authority for Cultural Exchange on the one hand. And the National Water Research Center and the Ministry’s Regional Training Center, on the other hand, and the training courses offered by these two centers to African trainees, especially from the Nile Basin countries, contribute to building the capacities of workers in the water sector in these countries and exchanging ideas and experiences among the various African trainees.
Swilam pointed out that scientific research is of great importance in facing all challenges the world is currently facing, especially in the field of water and in the field of climatic changes and the negative effects resulting from them.
Swilam stressed his keenness that our decisions and projects be based on strong scientific foundations, so universities and research centers will have a remarkable role in making real change on the ground, pointing to the important role of scientific research in meeting challenges such as limited water resources and population growth in Egypt, with the importance of maximizing this role in The population increase continued with the stability of the number of water resources available in Egypt.
He reviewed the distinguished capabilities of the National Water Research Center, which is the research arm of the ministry and is dedicated to conducting applied research at the highest level for water policy-making.
Swilam indicated that he held a meeting with researchers at the National Water Research Center to discuss and encourage them to continue research work, with the importance of researchers focusing on solving problems and technical challenges facing the ministry, which has cadres capable of implementing these solutions, especially since these challenges are increasing with the negative effects of climate change. Which affects Egypt from the upper Nile to the Mediterranean, such as the rise in temperature and the resulting increase in water needs for various uses, and the effect of rising sea levels on the Nile Delta, whether through erosion or the overlap of seawater with groundwater and causing an increase in its salinity, in addition to Because of the unexpected impact of climate change on the sources of the Nile, at a time when 97% of the renewable water in Egypt comes from the Nile Basin, stressing that applied research is the tool to adapt to these negative effects.
He stressed that the world is already witnessing extreme climatic phenomena in many countries, which requires mobilizing international efforts and encouraging scientific research in the field of adaptation and mitigating the negative effects of climate changes, pointing out that Egypt, in cooperation with many international partners, launched an international initiative to adapt the water sector to changes. Climate change during the activities of the upcoming Cop27 climate conference, which is an international initiative concerned with water and climate challenges at the global level, with a focus on developing countries, which are among the world’s most affected by climate change.