Committees Briefing 2002
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Environment Committee

• Your environmental legal liability - November 4, 2002
• Is Cairo's Air in Danger? - June 12, 2002
• KfW Environmental Facility in Egypt - February 10, 2002

Your environmental legal liability

Counsellor Abdel Aziz El Guindi, chairman of Friends of the Environment (Alexandria) and former attorney general, speaking on November 4, called Egypt's environmental conditions "quite depressing." Along with child rearing, he said, care for the environment is an investment in the future of Egypt.
Human interference upsets longstanding balances in the natural world, El Guindi said, adding that anytime humans strive to improve their living conditions, they automatically affect the environment.
In the mid to late 20th century, as pressure on the environment increased, so did people's awareness of environmental pollution, leading to the implementation of laws and regulations to protect the environment. El Guindi outlined three main categories for environmental protection:
1. Air and Noise
2. Land
3. Water

He concluded by saying that public awareness is needed for laws and regulations to be effective. Friends of the Environment has published a simple handbook summarizing the rules and regulations to protect the environment and human health in Egypt.

Is Cairo's Air in Danger?

David Fratt, chief of party at the Cairo Air Improvement Project (CAIP) spoke on June 12 about the effects of chronic air pollution in Cairo. Air is a "commons," owned by no one but shared by many, Fratt said, adding that the pollution problem is not unique to Cairo, with Mexico City, Peking, Delhi, and Los Angeles all exceeding standard acceptable levels for atmospheric contaminants.

The Cairo Air Improvement Project (CAIP) is funded by USAID and implemented in partnership with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) and the Organization for Energy Planning (OEP). Its goal is to initiate and implement measures to reduce the air pollutants that have the most serious impact on human health in Greater Cairo, especially suspended particulates and lead.

CAIP aims to support the Government of Egypt in efforts to improve fuel efficiency and reduce exhaust emissions from gasoline-fueled vehicles licensed in Greater Cairo. The project's prime contractor, Chemonics International, is providing project-management and technical expertise, as well as conducting training and handling the procurement of new equipment.

One current CAIP initiative concentrates onvehicle-emission testing, enhancing tune-up capabilities, and promoting vehicle certification requirements (VET). Since the project started in three years ago, 58,000 vehicles and 2,000 motorcycles have been tested. In addition, a program for the inspection and maintenance of transit buses (IMTB) is being implemented to reduce harmful emissions of diesel engines in Greater Cairo.

According to Fratt, Egyptian government authorities will issue laws to ensure compliance with European standards (EURO-2) for all new vehicles. A model vehicle-emission testing station has been set up in Shoubra, he said, adding that other locations are earmarked in both the Cairo and Giza governorates.

Another program focuses on the conversion of public buses to use compressed natural gas (CNG) insead of diesel fuel. The Greater Cairo Bus Company and the Cairo Transit Authority each have 25 CNG buses now in regular operation.

Other CAIP initiatives focus on reducing airborne emissions from lead smelters and instituting an air-quality monitoring and analysis program for Greater Cairo.

Fratt added that CAIP was also carrying out public awareness and training programs to enhance public understanding of air-quality issues. In response to a question about whether Cairo's air quality had improved since the project began, he said that "according to our definition, it has," citing a figure of 29 percent for the overall reduction since 1999.

As for sustaining the results, he said, this is where government, businesses and the public all come in.

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KfW Environmental Facility in Egypt - February 10, 2002

Keith Brooke, project manager for Dorsch Consult, spoke on February 10 about Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW), a German government program that aims for environmental protection and improved industrial safety. Brooke focused on the Private Sector Industry Program (PSI) Phase II.

With a total volume of 29.3 million euros (£E 100 million) provided by the German government, the program promotes environment-related investment in Egyptian private sector industries. PSI credit lines permit medium to long-term loans. either in Egyptian pounds at fixed interest rates or in foreign currency at fixed or floating interest rates. Grants are also available. Financing is done through three local private banks: CIB, EAB and MIBank.

End-user loans are limited to a maximum of 1.5 million euros per enterprise, while grants are limited to 0.6 million euros per enterprise. Investments in environmental measures make an enterprise eligible for a grant of 15 percent to 30 percent of the cost of the measures. Credit in the program is not tied to buying German equipment.

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