CAIRO: Egypt has lifted its state of emergency in preparation for the season of floods, torrents and rains, and instructed officials to follow up locally on the matter.

Mohammed Abdel Aty, minister of water resources and irrigation, held a virtual meeting with the heads of the central departments of water resources and irrigation for the governorates of Upper and Lower Egypt on Thursday to discuss mechanisms for dealing with flood season.

The ministry stressed that preparatory measures needed to be completed urgently — including ensuring that all bridges are secure enough to withstand any emergency, and that emergency units in hot spots in the West Delta region are fully prepared for the expected torrential rains.

The ministry is also focused on removing all waste from canals to ensure there are no obstacles to hinder the flow of the water.

Mohammed Al-Sibai, spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, said the ministry “is in a state of emergency throughout the year,” but especially during the flood season at the end of October, but said it has managed to deal with it well so far despite the high water levels and heavy rain.

“We are prepared to deal with all volumes of torrents and rain during the coming period,” he said.