Field visit to Marsa Matrouh in Egypt
The ReWater MENA project team, accompanied by representatives from Lisode, conducted a field visit to a water and wastewater treatment plant in Matrouh on May 22, 2019. Matrouh is a coastal governorate located 440 kilometers northwest of Cairo, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
The team met with Dr. Ibrahim Khaled, Chairman of Matrouh Water and Wastewater Company, who showed great interest in the project’s objectives and outputs.
The team visited the treatment facility and met the managers responsible for its operation. The plant has a capacity of 12,000-25,000 cubic meters per day and operates at 250% of its capacity in the summer months when many people come to spend holidays. During this period, the plant receives up to 70,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day. An expansion of the treatment plant is under construction, which will increase its capacity to 60,000 cubic meters per day. The plant occupies an area of 450 Feddan (189 hectares) and comprises 14 stabilization ponds distributed in two lines.
The treated wastewater is used to irrigate two agroforestry plantations owned by the company. Planted up to 4 years ago, the first plantation covers about 150 Feddan (63 hectares) and has an irrigation network. The second plantation, measuring 350 Feddan (147 hectares), is only partially cultivated, using flood irrigation.
The soil is composed of a sandy layer, with a depth of about 40 centimeters, followed by a rock bed, which hampers tree growth. The trees cultivated include gazorina, casuarina, acacia and thyme.
The ReWater MENA project will conduct a detailed site characterization before developing a water reuse model that maximizes the use of treated wastewater.