The Ismail cabinet gave the green light yesterday to an amended Water Act, according to an official statement. The law outlines how water is distributed, who has the right to use it, and new regulations for Egypt’s sewage systems. The act first emerged back in 2014, and has been amended, killed off, and resurrected several times since. The Irrigation Ministry had completed the latest draft of the bill in June to tackle issues such as the impact of climate change and dangerously high pollution levels in our dwindling water resources. The minister’s’ agenda did not include the executive regulations for the law on repossession of illegally occupied land, which Ismail had said would be discussed during the meeting. Other decisions taken during the meeting include:

• Granting preliminary approval to transferring supervision of oil and gas production in Ras Fanar to the Egyptian General Petroleum Company, until legislation is issued to govern the region;
• Ratifying a 2015 presidential decree to join the UN’s International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, which sets international standards for olive oils.