Red Sea Governor Caps Water Price at EGP 140 a Cubic Meter, Sets EGP 100,000 Fine for Violators

The Red Sea Governorate has set a maximum price of EGP 140 per cubic meter for water, with fines of up to EGP 100,000 for anyone who charges more, according to Youm7 and Al-Masry Al-Youm.

The announcement comes as Hurghada and neighbouring towns work through a summer of strained water supply — Hurghada News has previously reported homes in Hurghada and Ras Ghareb going without piped water for six to ten days at a stretch, and a new desalination plant under study to add capacity. Against that backdrop, a price ceiling reads as an attempt to stop water sellers from charging shortage-driven premiums, particularly on tanker deliveries.

The source reports do not say when the cap takes effect, which authority enforces it day to day, or whether it covers municipal supply only or also extends to the private tanker operators who fill the gap when mains water runs dry — the group most likely to test the new limit.

For residents already paying out of pocket for tanker deliveries during outages, the cap sets a clear ceiling to point to if a supplier tries to charge more.