A comparison of satellite images conducted by Zawia3 between May 2020 and June 2026 shows the Tawfiqi Canal narrowing by as much as 31% at some locations, alongside the disappearance of parts of its historic tree cover and the replacement of some banks with concrete walls. Zawia3 examines whether filling in the waterway to build a new road complies with the Water Resources and Irrigation Law, as well as feasibility studies and water, environmental and urban research.<\/p>\n
On the evening of 7 October 2021, the General Authority for Roads and Bridges<\/a> issued a statement denying social media reports that the Tawfiqi Canal was being filled in to build a new road. It said it was constructing the road on the eastern bank in coordination with the Irrigation Ministry. Yet an official response published in newspapers around the same time contained a detail more consequential than the denial: in some places, building the road had indeed required incorporating part of the canal\u2019s watercourse, according to a study by the National Water Research Institute<\/a> that set what was called the \u201cequivalent limit\u201d. Five years later, with work continuing on the 73-kilometre expressway east of the Tawfiqi Canal between Banha and Mansoura, a question that the published figures have not settled returns: how much of the waterway has been taken?<\/p>\n On the same day, Extra News<\/a>, owned by United Media Services<\/a>, broadcast a television report on construction of the East Tawfiqi Canal road. It sought to present a reassuring picture of the project\u2019s impact on the watercourse through interviews with several residents whose views, it said, were consistent with the Roads and Bridges Authority\u2019s statement. Strikingly, however, their accounts did not directly answer questions about infilling and its impact on the watercourse. The first resident said there was \u201cno infilling at all\u201d, before explaining that infilling had indeed taken place but was subsequently removed after the piles supporting the bridge were installed. He added that the water was still flowing normally and that he had no problems on his farmland. The second resident did not address infilling, focusing instead on the new road\u2019s width, its extension from Banha to Mansoura and Damietta, and the fuel savings and easier vehicle movement he expected. Similarly, the third resident described it as \u201cone of the best projects carried out under Sisi\u201d, saying it would ease traffic pressure and reduce accidents. The fourth chose to thank the president, saying that roads and bridges that had not existed before had been built during his rule.<\/p>\n