This $522-million water treatment facility will clean 7.5 million cu m of water per day to expand farming land and combat water scarcity in northwestern Egypt. Crews completed the effort in 24 months and across 27 million worker hours, successfully navigating the arrival of specialized equipment from manufacturers across 14 countries.

“The New Delta treatment plant is a benchmark in the treatment of irrigation water in Egypt, fostering sustainable development and reuse of wastewater,” explains Ashraf Ayoub, senior manager, supervision, Khatib & Alami.

Photo courtesy the Contractor JV

With the help of three concrete batching plants, crews placed approximately 431,000 cu yd of concrete on site. Sequencing work around resource-intensive concrete wall placement processes streamlined the schedule and use of resources.

Given the extremely remote location and an expansive workforce of 6,500, project leadership established a nearby camp with a wide range of amenities. Early planning and materials procurement helped limit potential delays, while regular meetings with all stakeholders allowed the team to address problems proactively by increasing manpower, shifts and materials, and employing new technologies, Ayoub explains. This helped ensure on-time and within-budget completion in June 2023.

Photo courtesy the Contractor JV

Compressing the schedule to two years pushed the team to complete construction in three parallel workstreams, requiring not only precise and strict work plans, but also careful organization for employees from all four companies included under the joint venture contractor, says Ahmed El Adalany, member of the board of directors at the Arab Contractors.

The New Delta facility achieved four Guinness World Records, including the largest water treatment plant.