Minister of Irrigation: Publishing images of canals during closure shifts is deliberate misinformation, and we will confront its promoters through the law

Dr. Hany Suweilam, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, affirmed that the “rotation” system and the allocation of water roles to canals and waterways is a dynamic system implemented in Egypt for decades to ensure the efficient and equitable management of water resources. He stressed that filming canals during “closure rotation” periods and extracting them from their context to portray them as dry constitutes deliberate deception and the incitement of unjustified unrest.

He clarified that the irrigation system relies on distributing water management between “working” periods (allowing irrigation and drainage) and “idle” periods (closing waterways to restore balance and distribute water to other areas). He noted that this technical measure is repeated periodically and in no way indicates a shortage in supplies or negligence in network management.

He added that the deliberate dissemination of such images and videos via social media platforms or certain websites aims to distort facts and squander the substantial efforts made around the clock by the Ministry’s agencies and staff to serve farmers and secure their water needs.

In this context, the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation emphasized that the Ministry will not tolerate such deceptive attempts and is currently taking all necessary legal measures against individuals, news websites, and platforms promoting such rumors and misinformation. He called on the media and citizens to obtain information from official sources and exercise accuracy before circulating any news related to water security.