President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s inauguration of a new irrigation dam at Assiut yesterday was the main topic of discussion on the airwaves last night.

The irrigation dam, one of the largest water projects on the nile, will benefit farmers across 20% of Egypt’s agricultural land in Giza, Fayoum, Beni Sueif, Assiut, and Minya, Irrigation Ministry Spokesperson Hossam El Imam told Al Hayah fi Masr (watch, runtime: 5:12). El Imam also phoned into Yahduth fi Masr for a chat with Sherif Amer about how the dam project ties into the ministry’s wider water conservation efforts (watch, runtime: 3:41 and runtime: 1:40).

The dam includes a EUR 69 mn hydropower station, which will generate clean energy equivalent to 50,000 tonnes of fuel per year, Electricity Ministry Spokesperson Ayman Hamza told Hona Al Asema’s Lama Gebril. This reduction of fuel consumption will save the country EGP 130 mn and will also cut down on our CO₂ emissions by 125,000 tonnes (watch, runtime: 5:00). Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro will cooperate in building the station, which will take around seven years to complete, Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker said yesterday, according to Ahram Online. Gebril also got into the details of the barrage with Irrigation Ministry deputy head Khaled Tobar (watch, runtime: 25: 12). Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hosary also spent some time on the topic (watch, runtime: 9:28).

El Sisi also inaugurated yesterday the EGP 72 mn Sohag Museum, Supreme Antiquities Council Secretary General Mostafa Waziri told Hona Al Asema. The 8,700 sqm museum houses some 950 artifacts. Construction of the museum had kicked off again in 2016 after being suspended for several years, Waziri noted (watch, runtime: 3:55). Waziri also chatted about the museum on Masaa DMC (watch, runtime: 6:19), Al Hayah fi Masr (watch, runtime: 5:03), and Yahduth fi Masr (watch, runtime: 2:44).

Security experts and members of the Coptic Church continued to praise tight security measures for managing to foil Saturday’s attempted suicide bombing at the Lady Virgin Church in Qaliubiyah. The impenetrable security forced the bomber to detonate far away from the church, preventing any casualties, former Interior Minister official Osama El Tawil said on Hona Al Asema (watch, runtime: 7:42). The church’s Archpriest Abdel Messih Bassit church said that prayers and celebrations of the Virgin Mary’s birthday had continued unaffected after the thwarted attack (watch, runtime: 9:15).

The annual increase in private schools was the headline of a roundtable discussion hosted by Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hosary, with House Rep. Hany Abaza, private schools representative Ahmed El Khatib, and head of an association for parents of students in private schools Mohamed Salah weighing in on the matter (watch, runtime: 4:30).