As many as 4,784 encroachments on the Nile River have been removed so far as part of a national campaign to protect Egypt's main source of potable water, the Water Resources and Irrigation Ministry said on Sunday.

On January 5, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab and Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazi launched a national campaign to "rescue the Nile".

The campaign targets removing about 50,399 encroachments on the Nile River.

In a statement, the Irrigation Ministry said that eight encroachments on the Nile have been removed in Menouifia and Dakhilia during the last 24 hours.