Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazi on Thursday said that the foundation stone of a new aqueducts project in Assuit's main district of Dirout will be laid down in a celebration to be held mid-December.

In a press conference earlier in the day, Moghazi said that the ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail.

The project, funded by an EGP 420 million Japanese soft loan to construct seven aqueducts, aims at improving the irrigation in an area of 1.5 million feddans, the minister said.