Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Assem El Gazzar has announced the pilot operation of the first phase of an EGP 500 mn sewerage treatment plant to serve a total of 450,000 people in Saqlata, east of Sohag, some villages in Akhmim and other neighboring areas.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has confirmed that the state has lost about 400,000 acres of agricultural land due to urban sprawl, adding that unplanned settlements represent almost 50% of total urban areas and villages in Egypt.