Holding Company for Water and Waste Water

What Holding Company for Water and Waste Water does

The Holding Company for Water and Wastewater (HCWW) (الشركة القابضة لمياه الشرب والصرف الصحي) is a state-owned holding company established by Presidential Decree No. 135 of 2004, operating under Law No. 203 of 1991 and the supervision of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities. It functions as the sole national holding entity for Egypt's drinking water and wastewater sector, managing 25 wholly-owned subsidiary companies that collectively deliver services across all 27 Egyptian governorates through 230 customer service centers, 43 mobile service vehicles, 34 club/community outlets, and digital channels including the HCWW-125 and Qraty mobile applications. The company's operational footprint encompasses 2,650 drinking water production stations (26.5 million m³/day capacity), 509 wastewater treatment stations (13.43 million m³/day capacity), 129 desalination stations (1.4 million m³/day current capacity, targeting 9.872 million m³/day by 2050), and 805 quality testing laboratories that analyze approximately 10.5 million samples annually.

HCWW's core product is integrated water and wastewater services — drinking water treatment (screening, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, chlorination), wastewater treatment (primary, biological, disinfection, sludge handling via activated sludge, bio-filters, rotating biological discs, oxidation ponds), treated wastewater reuse for agriculture, and industrial wastewater discharge licensing and monitoring. Underlying technology includes SCADA systems (16 of 25 subsidiaries, targeting 100% by 2028), District Metered Areas/Zones for non-revenue water reduction (45 DMZ zones added in FY 2024/2025), prepaid water meters, QR-code automated meter reading (implemented in 13 subsidiaries), Water Safety Plans covering 75% of drinking water production, and an in-development cybersecurity framework. The TSMEgypt certification program (modeled on German DWA standards) provides technical management certification with 220 sites certified as of FY 2024/2025, and HCWW serves as the sole certifying body in Egypt.

HCWW's revenue model combines tiered consumption-based tariff billing to residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, and tourism customers across 27 governorates with direct government budget allocations for capital investment and international donor-funded infrastructure programs. Tariffs vary by governorate and customer activity type, with components including water consumption charges, wastewater charges, regulatory authority fees, sustainability/customer service fees, and VAT. Capital funding flows from multi-year international partnerships with EBRD, EU, KfW, USAID, AFD, World Bank, EIB, GIZ, SDC, SECO, African Development Bank, JICA, and others. FY 2024/2025 investment project execution totaled 14.47 billion EGP, Haya Karima Phase 1 covers 33.03 billion EGP across 10 governorates, and 36 international cooperation projects have delivered 3.4 billion EGP cumulatively. The Haya Karima presidential initiative serves as a major go-to-market driver, while the IWWI 2025 international exhibition (November 2025) signals positioning as a regional water-sector convener.

Name

Holding Company for Water and Waste Water

Legal name

الشركة القابضة لمياه الشرب والصرف الصحي

Website

https://hcww.com.eg

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

HCWW is Egypt's sole state-owned holding company for water and wastewater, operating 25 subsidiaries across all 27 governorates through 2,650 water stations and 509 wastewater treatment plants serving over 100 million Egyptians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Utility Services

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Sewage Treatment Facilities (221320)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Sampling, Testing & Laboratory Analysis (Legionella/Microbiology) (BPABAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water, Air Quality & Environmental Hygiene (Legionella/IAQ) (BPABAAAO)

Keywords

• Water treatment services
• Wastewater management
• Water utility distribution
• Sewage treatment infrastructure
• Water quality monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Water and Wastewater Service Fees (Customer Bills): HCWW generates revenue through water and wastewater service fees charged to residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, and other customers across 27 governorates. Fees are determined by a tiered tariff structure based on consumption volume and activity type. Tariffs vary by governorate and customer category (domestic, government, service, commercial, industrial, hotels, youth activities, special category). The company also generates revenue from connection fees, meter installation, and related commercial services.
2. Government Budget Allocations and Investment Programs: HCWW receives government budget allocations and implements large-scale investment projects funded by state budgets (e.g., Haya Karima Phase 1: 33.03 billion EGP). Investment projects for FY 2024/2025 totaled 14.47 billion EGP. Projects are also co-funded through international development partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HCWW is the state-owned holding company for Egypt's water and wastewater sector, operating 25 subsidiary companies across 27 governorates. It delivers drinking water treatment (26.5 million m³/day via 2,650 stations), wastewater collection and treatment (13.43 million m³/day via 509 treatment stations and 3,622 lifting stations), desalination (1.4 million m³/day across 129 stations), and water quality monitoring (805 laboratories). Services reach customers through 230 service centers, mobile apps (HCWW-125, Qraty), hotlines, and electronic payment channels.

Product overview

The Holding Company for Water and Waste Water (HCWW) operates as a state-owned holding company established by Presidential Decree 135/2004, managing 25 subsidiary companies serving 27 governorates across Egypt. The company provides an integrated suite of water and wastewater services encompassing drinking water treatment (2,650 stations producing 26.5 million m³/day), wastewater treatment (509 stations processing 13.43 million m³/day), water quality monitoring (805 laboratories), and treated wastewater reuse. The digital service portfolio includes the HCWW-125 mobile application for complaints and bill payments, the Qraty (قراءتي) mobile app for self-reported meter readings, an online bill calculator and payment platform, and 248 planned customer service centers including 23 mobile units. The company also operates the TSMEgypt certification program for technical sustainable management of water facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HCWW-125 Application: Mobile application for water and wastewater services, complaints, bill payment, and maintenance notifications - won first place in Egypt Government Excellence Award for Innovation
• Qraty (قراءتى) Application
• Customer Service Centers
• Haya Karima (حياة كريمة)
• Every Drop Matters (كل نقطة بتفرق)

Products and services

• Drinking Water Treatment Multi-stage drinking water purification and treatment services for residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers across 27 Egyptian governorates, delivered through 2,650 stations and 740 lifting stations producing 26.5 million m³/day. Treatment train includes intake, pumping, rapid mixing, flocculation, sedimentation, rapid sand filtration, and chlorination.
• Wastewater Treatment Wastewater collection and treatment for residential, commercial, and industrial customers across Egypt, using primary, secondary (biological), disinfection, and sludge treatment processes at 509 treatment stations and 3,622 lifting stations with a total capacity of 13.43 million m³/day. Biological treatment methods include bio-filters, rotating biological discs, activated sludge, extended aeration, and oxidation ponds.
• Water Quality Monitoring System Integrated water quality surveillance system covering drinking water and wastewater across all production stages. Operates 805 laboratories (467 drinking water labs including 16 central labs; 320 wastewater labs including 16 central labs; 18 other labs), with quarterly and annual reports, a GIS-based Water Quality Index atlas, and 373 drinking water and 137 wastewater Water Safety Plans covering 75% of drinking water and 53% of wastewater production.
• HCWW-125 Mobile Application Smartphone application enabling citizens to submit complaints about water and sewage services (pipe bursts, sewage overflows, water quality), pay water bills online, receive maintenance notifications, and access water conservation tips. Available on Google Play and Apple App Store. Won first place in the Egypt Government Excellence Award for Innovation and Creativity.
• Qraty (قراءتي) Mobile Application Mobile application allowing customers to self-register their water meter readings and submit photos of the meter between the 1st and 15th of each month, ensuring 100% reading accuracy and eliminating billing errors. Available on Google Play and Apple App Store.
• Customer Service Centers and Hotlines Network of 230 (target 248) customer service centers across Egypt providing face-to-face service, plus hotline 125 for water complaints in all governorates, hotline 175 for sewage complaints in Cairo and Alexandria, and a WhatsApp complaint channel. Includes 43 mobile service vehicles and 34 club/community outlets with extended evening hours.
• Online Bill Payment
• Online Bill Calculator Web-based tool allowing customers to calculate their water and sewage bills by entering governorate, activity type, current and previous meter readings, and unit count. Covers all 27 governorates.
• Prepaid Meters Prepaid water meter system allowing customers to prepay for water consumption via scratch cards or electronic payment points (Fawry and Khales). Features include elimination of human reading errors, consumption control, reduced non-revenue water, safety systems preventing disconnection during holidays, and recharging via service centers and electronic payment points.
• TSMEgypt Program (Technical Sustainable Management) Quality management framework modeled on German DWA standards for operating and maintaining drinking water and wastewater stations. HCWW is the certifying body for TSMEgypt in Egypt, with 220 sites certified as of FY 2024/2025. Egypt became the third country in the world (after Germany and China) to receive TSMEgypt certification.
• Treated Wastewater Reuse Reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture and forest plantations, with HCWW overseeing forestry projects across its 25 subsidiary companies using treated wastewater for irrigation to reduce freshwater consumption.
• Industrial Wastewater Management Monitoring and control of industrial liquid waste discharged into sewage networks, including licensing, inspection, sampling, and enforcement. Operated by HCWW's General Department of Industrial Wastewater across all 27 governorates under Law 93/1962, Ministerial Decree 44/2000, and Prime Minister's Decision 1012/2018.
• Hydraulic Design and Analysis Hydraulic analysis services dividing water networks into District Metered Areas (DMAs) and DMZs to support leak detection, water loss reduction, rehabilitation planning, pressure zone modeling, and network asset management. 45 DMZ zones were implemented in FY 2024/2025.
• Technical High Schools for Water and Wastewater Eight technical secondary schools in water and wastewater disciplines operated under HCWW's subsidiary companies, offering three specializations: operation and maintenance, quality control, and network operation. 3,170 graduates were employed as of academic year 2021/2022, and 4,722 graduates have been produced through FY 2024/2025, with consistent first-place national ranking in technical secondary education.
• Commercial Services (New Connections, Meter Installation, Sewage Connections) Commercial water and sewage services including new connections, meter installation, bill examination, sewage connections, and related services for residential, governmental, and non-residential activities, offered under the unified Commercial Services Guide across all 27 governorates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Drinking water production capacity: 26.5 million m³/day from 2,650 stations and 740 lifting stations
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017GTZ (now GIZ) facilitated the TSMEgypt (Sustainable Technical Management) program since 2008, modeled on German DWA standards. GTZ/GIZ has also supported integrity initiatives, Nile Delta Water Management Programme, and water loss reduction (WWMP).
• German Association for Water, Wastewater and Infrastructure (DWA)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017DWA is the international standards body behind the TSMEgypt certification program. HCWW serves as the sole certifying body for TSMEgypt in Egypt. DWA and HCWW collaborate on training inspectors and maintaining certification standards.
• Arab League Water CooperationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017HCWW signed an agreement with the Arab League Water Cooperation and GIZ in 2015 to export the TSMEgypt program to Jordan and Tunisia. Egyptian inspectors certified stations in Jordan and Tunisia.
• Ministry of Youth and Sports – YLY Youth UnionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017HCWW's Customer Service and Awareness department coordinates with the YLY (Youth Manages Youth) union to support the 'For Our People' initiative targeting 27 most underserved villages. Joint activities include water caravans, awareness campaigns, and plumbing skills training for youth.
• Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017HCWW operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities. The Ministry oversees sector policy, investment planning, and HCWW's strategic direction. The General Assembly is chaired by the Minister.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HCWWeg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/hcww
• Facebookfacebook.com/HCWWeg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hcww-egypt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Holding Company for Water and Waste Water