Egypt is building 20 desalination plants with a total capacity of 553,000 cubic metres per day with total investments 11.13 billion Egyptian pounds in seven governorates.
The government is planning to build 18 more plants with a total capacity of 421,500 cubic metres per day with total investments of EGP 8.75 billion in five governorates, the ministry added.
The Egyptian housing ministry denied that water purified by desalination plants are unsuitable for human consumption.
The government is working on meeting shortages in drinking water through the rationalisation of water consumption and raising awareness about the significance of rationalisation.