Efforts aimed at improving Egyptian irrigation have been enhanced with transformative investment by Kirloskar Brothers Limited
Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL) has invested in African industry and economy for five decades. Its journey in Africa, engaging with and supporting African businesses, exemplifies a clear vision – to provide the best services and solutions to make African industry increasingly better at serving its own economies and working with enterprises from around the world.
KBL's fluid management solutions, centrifugal pumps and valves make a genuine difference where they are deployed in the continent, serving as a lifeline to many industry segments.
Building on an historic association
KBL's most recent initiatives include recent investment in Egypt – a nation with a great history in development of utilisation of pumps, stretching back 4,000 years to the invention of the 'shaduf' – a water lifting device that is still being used today.
In March 2013, in Delhi, India, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was reached with the Mechanical and Electrical Department (MED) at the Egyptian government's Ministry of Water Resource and Irrigation – to build and upgrade the skill sets of the MED's engineers and technicians.
The MoU was signed in March 2013 in Delhi, India, by KBL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Kirloskar and MED Chairman Dr Mostafa Abu Zeid. The significance of the occasion was underlined by the presence of the former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and the Government of India's Union Minister for Trade and Commerce Shri Anand Sharma. According to Dr Zeid, "Over 21,000 MED engineers will benefit from this training programme in the next year."
The MoU is a consequence of an historic association between KBL and Egyptian government and industry that stretches back five decades. Kirloskar began exporting Diesel pump sets into Egypt in the 1960s, with an initial order of 150 units. By the late 1970s, KBL was exporting 10,000 sets annually.
In 50 years of engagement, 100,000 KBL sets have been operational in Egypt alone. This year, KBL marks that achievement not only with its new undertaking with the MED, but also in its turnkey project work on the installation of two major pumping stations on the banks of the Nile River - at Benban and at Rozaikat.
Investing in better water infrastructure
The Benban pumping station, sited near the ancient city of Aswan, has four large vertical turbine pumps that are capable of pumping out 4,000 litres of water per second. The Rozaikat station, near Luxor, has four even larger capacity pumps of 6,000 litres per second.
The two pumping stations support efforts aimed at extending large-scale irrigation to the dry reaches of the African nation. Combined, the pumping stations have the capacity to irrigate more than 20,000 hectares of agricultural land, with expected gains in grain production of up to 50,000 tonnes and employment of more than 60,000 people in the country. This is a transformative difference to the Egyptian economy, made possible by Kirloskar's adherence to innovation and quality.
When the pumps where inaugurated, early in 2013, former Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, Dr Mohamed Baha'a El Din Saad, said, "The equipment and services provided by KBL are commendable." Dr Zeid added to these sentiments by inviting KBL to invest further in Egypt's water infrastructure, "to extend their support for better distribution of water".