The Zefta Barrage, located at about 100 km north of Cairo City, was built in 1902 and remodeled in 1954. It was initially designed to irrigate 800,000 feddans (336,000 hectares) and currently more than 1,000,000 feddans (about 420,000 hectares) after remodeling. However, this accounts only for about a quarter of the total irrigable agriculture land area. In addition, the dam should serve for electricity as well as domestic and industrial use. Moreover, like most of the old water infrastructures on the Nile and branches, the Zefta Barrage showed signs of deterioration, and hence preventing its optimal operation. Visible cracks on major segments of the barrage and geologic trials have prompted studies and tests which revealed that while the barrage was stable at the time, the structure could be at risk in the event of major earthquake.
Therefore, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation MWRI required a feasibility study of rehabilitation or reconstruction of the dam, including an assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of future options for the century-old structure.
BECT provided Feasibility Study for the dam and its associated irrigation networks along with technical assistance for design review.
The feasibility study for the rehabilitation or reconstruction of the new Zefta Barrage with a new hydropower include development and evaluation of hydropower options, a comprehensive environmental and social assessment, engineering designs, bid packages, and tender documents for the most feasible options.
