[:en]Minister of Irrigation: Climate challenges affect Egypt from the Upper Nile to the Mediterranean[:ar]‫وزير الرى: التحديات المناخية تؤثر على مصر من أعالى النيل إلى البحر المتوسط[:]

[:en]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.[:ar]

نظمت جامعة هليوبوليس للتنمية المستدامة بااتعاون مع الهئية الألمانية للتبادل الثقافي DAAD  جلسة حوارية بمشاركة الدكتور هانى سويلم وزير الموارد المائية والرى عن البحث العلمى فى مجالات المياه والزراعة المستدامة.

وتوجه سويلم بالشكر للهيئة الألمانية للتبادل الثقافى على دورها البارز فى رفع قدرات الباحثين والعاملين فى مجال المياه، مشيرا إلى رغبته فى زيادة هذا الدور مستقبلا لإتاحة الفرصة لشباب باحثى المركز القومى لبحوث المياه ومهندسى الوزارة للتدريب والتأهيل، مع تعزيز التعاون بين الهيئة الألمانية للتبادل الثقافى من جانب والمركز القومى لبحوث المياه والمركز الاقليمى للتدريب التابعين للوزارة من جانب آخر، وما يقدمه هذان المركزان من دورات تدريبية للمتدربين الأفارقة، خاصة من دول حوض النيل، وهو ما يسهم فى بناء قدرات العاملين بقطاع المياه فى هذه الدول وتبادل الأفكار والخبرات بين مختلف المتدربين الأفارقة

وأشار سويلم إلى ما يمثله البحث العلمى من أهمية بالغة فى مواجهة كافة أشكال التحديات التى يواجهها العالم حاليا وخاصة فى مجال المياه وفى مجال التغيرات المناخية والتأثيرات السلبية الناتجة عنها.

وأكد سويلم على حرصه الشديد على أن تعتمد قراراتنا ومشروعاتنا على أسس علمية قوية لذلك سيكون للجامعات والمراكز البحثية دور ملحوظ لعمل تغيير حقيقى على أرض الواقع، مشيرا للدور الهام للبحث العلمى لمواجهة تحديات مثل محدودية الموارد المائية والزيادة السكانية فى مصر، مع أهمية تعظيم هذا الدور فى ظل إستمرار الزيادة السكانية مع ثبات كمية الموارد المائية المتاحة فى مصر.

واستعرض الإمكانات المتميزة التى يمتلكها المركز القومى لبحوث المياه والذى يعد الذراع البحثى للوزارة، وهو مكرس لإجراء البحوث التطبيقية على أعلى مستوى لصنع السياسات المائية، ويضم 12 معهدا تتكامل فى اختصاصات عملها البحثى مع مصالح وهيئات وقطاعات الوزارة المختلفة، بالإضافة للمعامل المركزية للرصد البيئى.

وأشار سويلم إلى أنه عقد لقاء مع الباحثين بالمركز القومى لبحوث المياه لمناقشتهم وتشجيعهم على مواصلة العمل البحثى، مع أهمية تركيز الباحثين على حل المشاكل والتحديات الفنية التى تواجه الوزارة التى تمتلك كوادر قادره على التنفيذ هذه الحلول، خاصة وأن هذه التحديات تتزايد مع التأثيرات السلبية للتغيرات المناخية والتى تؤثر على مصر من أعالى النيل الى البحر المتوسط، مثل إرتفاع درجة الحرارة وما ينتج عنها من زيادة الإحتياجات المائية لمختلف الاستخدامات، وتأثير ارتفاع منسوب سطح البحر على دلتا النيل سواء من خلال النحر أو بتداخل مياه البحر مع المياه الجوفية والتسبب فى زيادة ملوحتها، بالإضافة للتأثير غير المتوقع للتغيرات المناخية على منابع النيل، فى الوقت الذى تأتى فيه نسبة 97% من المياه المتجددة فى مصر من حوض النيل، مؤكدا أن البحوث التطبيقية هى الأداه للتكيف مع هذه الاثار السلبية.

وأكد أن العالم يشهد بالفعل ظواهر مناخية متطرفة فى العديد من الدول، الأمر الذى يستلزم حشد الجهود الدولية وتشجيع البحث العلمى فى مجال التكيف والتخفيف من الآثار السلبية للتغيرات المناخية، مشيرا إلى قيام مصر بالتعاون مع العديد من الشركاء الدوليين بإطلاق مبادرة دولية للتكيف بقطاع المياه مع التغيرات المناخية خلال فعاليات مؤتمر المناخ القادم Cop27 وهى مبادرة دولية تعنى بتحديات المياه والمناخ على المستوى العالمى مع التركيز على الدول النامية والتى تعد من أكثر دول العالم تأثرا بالتغيرات المناخية.

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MED-WET Partners Participate in Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, October 2024, Portugal

[:en] The MED-WET partners, including the team from Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, had the opportunity to showcase their excellent results at the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, held during (9-13) October 2024 in Portugal. This event provided a wonderful platform to widely share the project’s advancements, exchange insights, and engage with various international stakeholders in the water, energy and agricultural sectors. During the fair, the HUSD team actively participated in a parallel conference, where they delivered in-depth presentations and speech covering the MED-WET’s goals, achievements, and importance in advancing sustainable water management for climate-resilient agriculture among the rural and desert communities. At the heart of their presence was the MED-WET stand, which attracted significant attention of the majority of participants. It served as a focal point for information dissemination, providing an interactive space where farmers, agricultural experts, policymakers, and researchers could learn more about the project’s innovative approaches to water conservation and irrigation technology in arid regions. The stand featured detailed explanations of the project’s outcomes, including key findings and 3-D prototypes of the three technologies “Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco”. This obviously proven the MED-WET’s success in realizing efficient water management practices that contributed to sustainable farming and addressed water scarcity challenges in the Mediterranean region. Overall, the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair was a highly productive experience for all participants. It allowed the MED-WET team to expand their network, raise awareness about the critical issue of water scarcity, and underscore the project’s role in promoting sustainable agricultural practices across the Mediterranean region. The fair highlighted the increasing importance of collaborative efforts in addressing water conservation and irrigation challenges in agriculture, reinforcing the relevance of the MED-WET initiative. [:]

[:en]Showcasing the Med-Wet Project: Partners Participated in the Euro-Mediterranean Innovation Marketplace in Cairo[:]

[:en] One of the Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development’s successful research projects called “MED-WET” is selected among the top successful and highest performing 20 EU–Prima projects worldwide this year 2024. An international conference and fair was conducted on 3 Oct., 2024 in Cairo organized by Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in association with the European Commission (EC) office in Cairo. In which, a team from HUSD and MED-WET’s partner countries from Malta and Germany presented the key results of the MED-WET project, including the successfully developed three technologies (Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco). That mega event allowed HUSD to showcase the innovative solution of the low-cost, low-energy and nature-based “Instream Constructed Wetland” model addressing water challenges and climate change in the Mediterranean. Such innovations aim to conserve water, improve irrigation efficiency and tackle water scarcity (climate-resilient agriculture). The marketplace offered meaningful exchanges with international partners. HUSD’s team discussed potential collaborations with stakeholders who are interested in new research projects, which will help further amplify the impact of the Med-Wet project. The conversations done with promising future partners underscored the importance of cross-border cooperation and innovation in addressing complex environmental challenges, on the top of them “water scarcity and climate change”. [:]

[:en]Announcement: Heliopolis University Low Carbon Energy Report Released![:]

[:en]Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development is proud to announce the release of our latest report on Low Carbon Energy Usage across campus! This report highlights our commitment to a greener future by measuring the amount of low-carbon energy utilized in our operations. Through this analysis, we’re taking bold steps toward sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. Key Highlights: A detailed breakdown of renewable energy sources powering our campus Insights on energy efficiency improvements across our facilities Actionable goals for expanding clean energy use in the coming years Together, we’re paving the way for a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this report possible! Stay tuned for more updates as we continue working towards a 100% low-carbon campus! #HeliopolisUniversity #SustainableFuture #LowCarbonEnergy #CleanEnergy See the report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/122aDtID_M3wxZSzZnKuzx-VcHolUbxh5/view?usp=sharing[:]