RISE Opens Water Education Center in El Heiz Village

AUC’s Research Institute for a Sustainable Environment (RISE) recently opened the El Heiz Water Education Center, a space designed to educate farmers, engineers, professionals, youth and teachers about effective ways of reducing water consumption and reusing it to produce food. It will serve as a center for water management, learning and innovation. 

RISE built this center in response to Egypt’s depleting water resources, quickly growing population and climate change. “This will serve as a regional center for water management education,” said Tina Jaskolski, director of research at RISE. “Locals from El Heiz will staff the center and teach others in the area.”

Less than a month into its opening, the El Heiz Water Education Center has already hosted 40 teachers and 80 students from nearby schools. The center has a modern classroom where training workshops and other classes are held, free of cost, for anyone who wants to join. A wide range of information and interactive displays highlight water usage, resources, integrated solutions and modern technology. Tourists visit daily on their way to the White Desert, and RISE recently held a successful yoga and camping trip that featured a visit to the center.

The El Heiz Water Education Center is located in El Heiz, a village 40 km south of Bahariyya in the Bahariyya Oasis. It is a tranquil agricultural village, nestled amongst the peaks of the Black Desert. Although small, El Heiz has embraced solar energy and different water saving technologies. The community collaboration and organic support for these projects are the basis for the center’s success.

Pointing to the urgent need for water conservation, one resident of El Heiz noted that “Without water there is no life. If we don’t have any more water, the well levels decrease. I will not have a clear conscience if we lost this water. It’s for my son and grandson.”

For more information about the El Heiz Water Education Center, visit its Facebook page here.