Mubarak opening first two units of pumping station in Toshka

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is opening in the next few days the first two units of the Mubarak pumping stations in Toshka considered the biggest water-lifting station in the Middle East and the world, within inauguration of the first stage a cultivation of 450,000 feddans in the region.

The station's capacity hits 25 million cubic meters of irrigation water daily within 21 units to be operated consecutively on a rate of the units per month provided that all units would operate before July 2003.

Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mahmoud Abu Zeid and Aswan Governor General Samir Youssef as well as popular and executive leaderships had witnessed the experiments operation of the two units that aim at cultivating 10,00 feddans, to grow to 60,000 feddans during the year 2003.

Abu Reid said investments in Toshka projects so far hit LE 4 billion on a rate of 70-90 percent in all the aspects of the project, adding the pumping station alone consumed a sum of LE 1.500 billion.

He pointed out that the giant water-lifting station is ready for operation.

The works finalized include the digging and lining of the main stream of Sheikh Zayed canal at a length of 23 kilometers and all the power stations and assisting workshops.