Local villager Hasan Osman (2nd L) chats with workers at the deep water well drilling site being dug by China’s Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in the Siwa oasis, west of Cairo, in Egypt, March 25, 2022. In a remote village in the oasis of Siwa in Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by Egyptian authorities, is digging deep water wells to villagers in order to provide them with sustainable and sufficient access to drinking water. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

SIWA, Egypt, April 2 (Xinhua) — In a remote village in Siwa Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by Egyptian authorities, digs deep water wells for villagers as part of efforts to provide them with sustainable and sufficient access to drinking water.

“I offered a sheep to the Chinese drilling team on behalf of the whole village as a thank you for drilling water wells for us,” Hasan Osman, a 30-year-old villager, told Xinhua. looking at the huge drilling rig. of the Chinese firm Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC).

The village where Osman lives is called Malol, located in the oasis of Siwa about 560 km west of the capital Cairo. Being close to the Egyptian border with Libya, Siwa is the most remote and inaccessible desert oasis in Egypt.

“The water we drink is salty and insufficient to drink, let alone grow crops,” Osman said.

With the arrival of the ZPEC drilling team comes the potential access to drinking water. Like a long-awaited rain in the desert, the drilling site has become a magnet for villagers who talk about the promising project and befriend the workers.

“We are very happy that the Chinese company is digging a well for us! What a pleasure!” Osman said with a hopeful smile.

Li Wei, general manager of the ZPEC branch in Egypt, told Xinhua that the village relies heavily on groundwater, but the existing wells are mostly shallow with a depth of 300 to 400 meters, providing water of high salinity well below the ideal level for drinking water. .

In February, the Egyptian authorities decided to stop drilling shallow wells in Siwa and contracted ZPEC to drill two deep water wells to a depth of about 1,200 meters to tap water sources from quality for the local population.

This is not the first time that ZPEC has provided deep drilling services in Egypt. Since 2016, the Chinese company has been providing drilling services in the Sinai Peninsula, where its highly efficient work was quickly recognized by the Egyptian government and resulted in more contracted projects in the North African country.

The project in Siwa has never been easy. The team managed to transport a 550 horsepower drill rig from Cairo to Siwa for the project, before being put through technical and management work difficulties.

“Due to the remoteness of the project and some geological problems, the company’s technical department commissioned specialized experts to study and implement leak prevention and clogging measures at the drilling site,” Mr. Li said.

Pointing to a well being drilled close at hand, Fahmy Abdel-Hamid, a project manager who has worked for ZPEC for nearly five years, said the well was drilled to a depth of more than 400 meters. so far, with 28 workers taking care of it. two shifts 24 hours a day.

Abdel-Hamid also praised China’s professional and technical expertise in the field of drilling, noting that he has gained a lot of experience through his work at ZPEC.

“We are not only bringing some deep water wells to the village, but also hope that the local people will have a better life,” Li, the general manager, told Xinhua. ■

Li Wei (L), general manager of the ZPEC branch in Egypt, talks to workers at the deep water well drilling site dug by China’s Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in Siwa Oasis, west of Cairo, Egypt on March 25, 2022. In a remote village in the Siwa oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by Egyptian authorities are digging deep water wells for villagers to provide them with sustainable and sufficient access to drinking water. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Workers work at the drilling site for deep water wells dug by China’s Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in Siwa oasis, west of Cairo, Egypt, March 25, 2022. In a remote village in the oasis of Siwa in the Egyptian Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by the Egyptian authorities, is digging deep water wells for the villagers to provide them with sustainable and sufficient access drinking water.(Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Photo taken on March 25, 2022 shows the drilling site of deep water wells dug by Chinese firm Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in Siwa oasis, west of Cairo, Egypt. In a remote village in the Siwa Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by the Egyptian authorities, is digging deep water wells for the villagers to provide sustainable and sufficient access to drinking water. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Aerial photo taken on March 25, 2022 shows the drilling site of deepwater wells dug by Chinese firm Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in Siwa oasis, west of Cairo, Egypt. In a remote village in the Siwa Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by the Egyptian authorities, is digging deep water wells for the villagers to provide sustainable and sufficient access to drinking water. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Photo taken on March 25, 2022 shows the drilling site of deep water wells dug by Chinese firm Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in Siwa oasis, west of Cairo, Egypt. In a remote village in the Siwa Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by the Egyptian authorities, is digging deep water wells for the villagers to provide sustainable and sufficient access to drinking water. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Local children visit the drilling site for deep water wells dug by China’s Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in Siwa oasis, west of Cairo, Egypt, March 25, 2022. In a remote village in the Siwa Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by the Egyptian authorities, is digging deep water wells for the villagers to provide them with access durable and sufficient for drinking water. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Aerial photo taken on March 25, 2022 shows the drilling site of deepwater wells dug by Chinese firm Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in Siwa oasis, west of Cairo, Egypt. In a remote village in the Siwa Oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by the Egyptian authorities, is digging deep water wells for the villagers to provide sustainable and sufficient access to drinking water. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Local villager Hasan Osman (2nd L) chats with workers at the deep water well drilling site being dug by China’s Zhongman Petroleum and Gas Group (ZPEC) in the Siwa oasis, west of Cairo, in Egypt, March 25, 2022. In a remote Village in the Siwa Oasis of Egypt’s Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, commissioned by the Egyptian authorities, is digging water wells for villagers to provide them with sustainable and sufficient access to drinking water. (Xinhua/ Sui Xiankai)