Watering Hope in the Desert: A Chinese Well Drilling Team in the Depths of the Egyptian Desert

On November 23, workers were operating at a Kom Ombo water well project site in the desert of Aswan, Egypt.

In the early winter sunshine, about 60 kilometers north of the capital of Egypt’s Aswan Governorate, lush green wheat fields stand out strikingly in the vast desert of Kom Ombo.

“This used to be an arid desert where nothing could grow. Now, under the irrigation of well water, crops like wheat are thriving, bringing life and hope,” said Ahmed Sadani, Deputy Manager of Zhongman Egypt's Aswan Water Well Project.

At the Zhongman Egypt Company’s Kom Ombo water well drilling site in the Aswan desert, massive drilling rigs rumble through the sands, while workers clad in red uniforms and white safety helmets operate in an orderly manner.

Sadani, 30, joined Zhongman Egypt in 2018. Over the years, he has worked as a mud engineer, pump test engineer, and field engineer, and now manages six well drilling teams on-site. “Over the past six years, I have participated in several desert well-drilling projects, gaining more and more experience,” Sadani said. “Every time we see clear underground water gushing from the wellhead, my colleagues and I feel extremely excited.”

In recent years, Egypt's population has grown rapidly. To alleviate its reliance on imported food, the Egyptian government has been intensifying efforts to reclaim desert land and increase arable areas since 2015. Responding to the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhongman Group established Zhongman Egypt in October 2016, focusing on the local water well market. From the Sinai Peninsula to the Sahara Desert in Minya Province, from the Siwa Oasis in Matrouh Province to the Kom Ombo Desert in Aswan, this Chinese-Egyptian drilling team has drilled over 540 desert water wells in the past eight years, turning barren deserts into fertile farmland.

Drilling wells in the desert comes with numerous challenges. “When scouting for well sites, there were no roads in this barren desert. We had to walk three to four hours with GPS to locate the coordinates,” said Zhao Wutao, General Manager of Zhongman Egypt. Once the well site is identified, transporting equipment becomes another major challenge. A set of large drilling equipment weighs up to 500 tons and requires disassembly. Transporting it from over 1,000 kilometers away in central and northern Egypt takes 25 trucks and ten days.

According to Zhao, the Kom Ombo water well project currently employs six drilling teams and over 200 Chinese and Egyptian staff. The rigs operate 24 hours a day, with workers rotating shifts.

Amr Mohammed, a 28-year-old on-site engineer, joined Zhongman Egypt a year and a half ago. He is responsible for managing the drilling teams and technical operations. “My work experience and skills have improved significantly,” he said. Pointing to the desert around him, Amr added, “This area is yellow now, but it will turn green soon. Our work will greatly benefit Egypt's agricultural development.”

Zhao Wutao emphasized that Zhongman Egypt adheres to the principles of consultation, collaboration, and shared benefits, bringing China's advanced drilling technology and management expertise to Egypt. “We are undertaking a livelihood project and contributing to the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative between China and Egypt. Seeing the well water benefit local residents brings us genuine happiness.”

Source: <https://www.yidaiyilu.gov.cn/p/05DJAJ2N.html>

Translated by Li Wei