The North Sinai cities of Rafah and Bir Al Abd will be getting new water desalination plants, after President Abdel Fattah El Sisi ratified a KWD 5.5 mn loan agreement between Egypt and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, according to a decision published in the Official Gazette (pdf).

A draft bill to protect and increase production at Egypt’s fisheries was approved in principle by the House yesterday, Al Masry Al Youm reports. The new law aims to regulate the establishment of fish farms, while protecting lakes and fisheries against pollution and land encroachment, Agriculture Minister Al Sayed El Quseir told lawmakers during the session yesterday.

What does the bill entail? A regulatory body, affiliated to the cabinet, will be set up to manage Egyptian lakes in a bid to double their fish production. Under the bill, the authority will issue licenses for fish farms and fish processing projects, as well as regulate fishing ports and other related operations.