CAIRO — Al Mahsamma agricultural drainage treatment, recycling and reuse plant launched by Metito, Hassan Allam joint venture (JV) under the supervision of Egypt’s Armed Forces Engineering Authority, has been awarded the ‘Best Recycling and Reuse Water Project Global 2020’ award by Capital Finance International (CFI.co). The project worth $100 million was inaugurated in April 2020 by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. It has a daily capacity of 1 million m3/day and is built on an area of 42,000 m2, making it the world’s biggest agricultural drainage treatment plant for water recycling and reuse. Al Mahsamma has been recognized for its contribution to the conservation of the natural ecology of the Al Temsah Lake, located west of the Suez Canal, which has been impacted by wastewater disposal. The project’s capacity to produce irrigation of 70,000 acres of land in the Sinai has also been highlighted in the award, as it ties in with the Egyptian government’s efforts to strengthen Sinai’s economic activities by creating sustainable urban communities and job opportunities in the area. Aside from its major contribution to support Egypt’s progressive and multipronged approach towards water security, the project also resonates with the water agenda of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) including ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ (SDG 6) and ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’ (SDG 11). Commenting on this award, Eng. Karim Madwar, Metito Africa managing director, the multinational global provider of intelligent water management and alternative energy solutions, said: “Metito is always proud when national projects of varied economic and social impacts, such as the Al Mahsamma plant, are highlighted, gaining international acclaim and well-deserved recognition.” Madwar added that the Al Mahsamma project relies on integrating the latest technologies in the various stages of water treatment, recycling and reuse as well as utilizing digital and information technology to monitor operations around-the-clock to ensure optimum operations and full compliance with the international water quality standard. Mohamed El Dahshoury, Hassan Allam Construction CEO, said: “Water is a human right and it is essential to work on developing projects that achieve water security and conserve natural water resources.” El Dahshoury added that the company is keen on participating in national development projects and that the Al Mahsamma project was completed in record time, logging in 2.5 million safe man-hours during which around 1 million cubic meters of land was dug to build tunnels. Al Mahsamma is expected to garner more global recognition due to its importance and for being one of the most sustainable mega projects of its type in the region. Al Mahsamma plant was named “Infrastructure Project of the Year" in 2019 by the Construction Innovation Awards and has been shortlisted for the Wastewater Project of the Year award at the Global Water Awards, one of the most important and leading awards in the water field, with results set to be announced at the Global Water Summit in Spain following the COVID-19 pandemic. — SG