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Black cloud returns, blame assigned gingerly According to a World Bank report issued in 1999, the economic cost of pollution in Egypt is a whopping 4.8 percent of GDP. While residents of Cairo have learned to cope with typical pollution levels (no mean feat in one of the top-10 most polluted cities in the world), they’ve also had to contend with a cloud of smog descending on the city at nightfall every autumn since 1999. Ahead of the annual appearance of the notorious “black cloud,” the Ministry of Environment, under the recently appointed Maged George, is taking action to curb the phenomenon, in cooperation with several other ministries, including agriculture, electricity, local administration, water resources, interior and transport. Cairo, a city of 17 million, is subject to several different kinds of effluence, all of which, in varying degrees, contribute to the cloud. Industrial activities are located in and near residential areas, while factories surround the city on all sides. The city is home to 750 diesel-powered smelters, 500 brick factories, 298 charcoal processing pits and five power stations; 1.2 million passenger cars jam the streets. In addition to this, 10,000 tons of garbage are disposed of daily, and the burning of agricultural and urban waste is widespread. The most common form of pollution is airborne particulate matter from industrial emissions and the burning of solid waste. Concentrations of such particles – each less than 10 micrometers in size – are rife in the skies over Cairo, due mainly to the dry climate and the capital’s situation between hills and elevated plateaus to the east and west. In the view of Musallam Shaltout, a researcher at the Astronomic Research Institute, climatic factors play a considerable part in the cloud problem. “Sunlight heats up the air close to the earth’s surface, and the air rises up carrying airborne pollutants.” During most times of the year, the wind blows the pollutants away from the city. “Problems arise when weather conditions are unstable, which leads to a thermal reversal. Instead of pollutants heading up during the evening, they head down, and with no wind to carry them away, the problem of the black cloud occurs,” he said, pointing out that the weather is particularly changeable in the autumn. The rice harvest in the Delta, also during the autumn, is another factor that contributes to the phenomenon. Following the harvest, farmers face disposing approximately 2 million tons of rice husks. Leaving the refuse in the fields is not an option as it attracts all manner of pests. The farmers’ solution? Burning the refuse in the open air. Unfortunately for Cairenes, the northerly winds of autumn carry the smoke south towards the city. A 2003 Ministry of Environment study found that the burning of agricultural waste in October and November of each year is responsible for 42 percent of the black cloud, while car exhaust and industrial emissions each account for 23 percent of the phenomenon, and the incineration of garbage is said to be responsible for 12 percent. The Ministry of Environment this year is taking measures to prevent the burning of agricultural refuse, most notably rice husks, and it is coordinating with Cairo governorate to reduce other pollutants. No pits or kilns will be allowed to operate in October and November, and joint inspection teams from the environment and interior ministries will enforce the ban. Garbage dumps that have not received operating permits are to be eliminated. Kalioubiya governorate, north of Cairo, is pitching in with its own regulations and is levying a £E 10,000 fine on violations of the ban on burning rice husks. The ministry is also distributing 77 presses to the governorates in the Delta to compress the refuse. As for how the reduced waste is to be used or disposed of, that remains unclear. Similarly, how effective the ban on burning will be remains to be seen because in previous years, farmers did most of the burning under cover of night. Magdi Allam, head of the ministry’s department responsible for Greater Cairo, says, “Farmers really have little alternative other than burning the husks.” Egypt lacks facilities to recycle the waste, he pointed out, even though in the ministry’s view such projects would be economically viable. Rice husks can be used to make paper, wood and fodder, he noted. Allam proposes that the state encourage youth to take up recycling operations through conducting feasibility studies, and providing equipment and credit. In the meantime, Allam argues that the government should not grant any more licenses for new factories in Greater Cairo and instead encourage the establishment of such facilities far from residential areas. International aid agencies are assisting in the Ministry
of Environment’s efforts to alleviate air pollution in Egypt.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
the Japan International Cooperation Agency, as well as Canadian
and Danish organizations are all involved. Other activities include modernizing lead smelters in Shobra Al Kheima through the introduction of clean technology to reduce lead dust emissions. The project is also involved in setting up stations around the capital to monitor air quality. As well, efforts are afoot to switch public buses over to natural gas. Those initiatives have been paying off, says Ahmed Abu Al-Suoud, head of the ministry’s air quality department. “Thanks to the ministry’s efforts, in cooperation with USAID, lead pollutants from smelters in Shobra Al Kheima have declined. The smelters now have environmental equipment, Egypt has expanded its use of lead-free gasoline and vehicles are now strictly monitored for exhaust emissions.” Dr. Mahmoud Omar, of the National Center for Poison Control, and a professor of occupational and chest diseases, estimated that as much as a third of the illnesses occurring in Egypt are related to pollution, noting the danger posed particularly to the upper and lower respiratory systems, as well as to the skin and eyes. Poisonous gases, such as lead and nitrogen oxides, can enter the bloodstream and cause damage to the liver, kidneys, brain and nervous system, he said. Mahmoud Awad, secretary-general of Egypt’s nascent Green Party, views the problem as one of misguided state policy. “We can’t blame pollution and the black cloud on the Ministry of Environment alone,” he said. “We in the Green Party direct our criticism at government policies in general.” Awad added, “Because of misguided policies, [government] centralization, the concentration of activities in Cairo and the growth of informal districts, the extent of environmental degradation cannot be resolved by laws alone.” Magdy Samaan |
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