Egypt's environmental problems include, but are not limited to, air pollution by cars. Agencies such as the Egyptian Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs have been created to promote and protect Egypt's natural resources.
Natural resources
The Nile River provides Egyptians with natural resources that allow for agricultural lands and irrigation systems, making the management of the Nile important for economic growth in Egypt.Mitchell, Timothy. Rule of Experts: Egypt, Techno-politics, Modernity. Berkeley: University of California, 2002. Print.
Land and agricultural resources Egypt has an expanding population and limited resources, decreasing the amount of land available for farming. As a result, there has been intense social protest in Egypt and increased demand for access to resources such as agricultural land. Egypt depends on land for fruit cultivation found across the Nile, which has sustained Egypt's agriculture for more than 5,000 years.
The opening of natural resources and technological advancements throughout development projects in Egypt has historically created a range of feedback from Egyptians. Among these agricultural projects was the construction of villages created to provide for irrigation strategies from Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt, done as a means of strengthening Egypt's economy at the height of its capitalist endeavors during the British occupation.
Water resources Underground water is the main source of fresh water in Egypt's deserts, which make up 95% of Egypt. Rainwater also plays a role in irrigation in Egypt, but it is a scarce and limiting source for agricultural development. Since the 1950s, Egypt has mixed agricultural drainage water with Nile water for reuse in irrigation.
The Aswan Dam placed a halt on annual flooding of the Nile and allowed for extended sugarcane cultivation albeit the growing of wheat was displaced. However, the Nile floods provided brick-making and house-building labor, and mud became less available due to the Aswan Dam. The Nile also allowed for 124 million tons of sediment to be carried to the sea each year; after the creation of the dam, 98% of that sediment fell under the dam. As a result of the lack of sediment, researchers predict the Nile Delta could be submerged within about 130 years.
The expansion of desert areas since the Aswan High Dam's construction in 1970 has also increased soil salinity, which has allowed waterborne diseases to emerge and jeopardizes the fertility of the soil. Rising sea levels (caused by climate change) and subsidence in the Nile Delta also contribute to soil salinity. In 1994, 28% of Egypt's soils were damaged by significant levels of salinity. Without adequate measures, 15% of the arable land could be lost due to salinization.
Pollution Air Pollution
Air pollution in downtown Cairo ranks higher than acceptable world standards by 10 to 100 times. The air in Egypt can be very thick and grey, creating a visible haze over Cairo. Cairo's poor air quality is caused by the lack of rainfall and its layout of tall buildings and narrow streets, which create a bowl effect (bad ventilation and the consequent trapping of pollutants). The main air pollution problem in Egypt is particulate matter. The most notable sources of the dust and small particles are transportation, industry, and open-air waste-burning. The wind blowing from arid areas around Egypt (e.g., the Western Desert) is also a large source of dust. Another form of air pollution in the streets is carbon monoxide from excessive automobile exhaust and factory emissions.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has published risk data which states that above the safe limit, the risk of developing serious respiratory diseases, cancer and cardiovascular disease from exposure to air pollution (dust and soot, hydrocarbons, and heavy metal compounds) is two people in every 1,000.
Noise pollution
Rising noise pollution in the 24-hour metropolis of Cairo has reached extremely high levels, leading to health problems. In the city center, noise levels reach an average of 90 decibels (dB) and never drop below 70 dB, comparable to being inside a factory. A 2007 study by the Egyptian National Research Centre (NRC) said, "What's striking about Cairo is that noise levels on different streets at different times of day are well over limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)".
Impact on agriculture
From 1999 to 2010, approximately 176 foreign energy companies invested in Egypt's abundant, fuel resources. Many of these foreign companies including British Petroleum and British Gas, began to build energy and fertilizer plants in Egypt along the Mediterranean coast in Ras El Bar and surrounding governates in order to export fuel. Along the Mediterranean coast, these energy and fertilizer plants produce 70% of national production. The construction of energy and fertilizer plants in Egypt has affected local farming, in particular, by destroying arable land and crop production. As a result, many Egyptians are protesting against the use of these energy and fertilizer companies particularly in Ras El Bar, Idku, and El Dabaa.
EAgrium Fertilizer Complex in Damietta A major port city along the Mediterranean coast in Egypt, Damietta, relies on the fishing industry, tourism in Ras El Bar, and real estate as its primary source of income. In Damietta's fishing sector located in Izbat al-Burj surrounded on the east coast by Lake Manzala, approximately 10,000 individuals make their living as local fishers using cheap equipment and boats. Ras El Bar, a middle-class coastal area near Damietta's seaport, is a popular vacation destination for tourists during the summer time. Damietta's elites have permanent residences in Ras El Bar, which contributes to the local real estate sector.
In 2006, the Egyptian Agrium Nitrogen Products Company (EAgrium), a Canadian-based petrochemical company, planned to build a large fertilizer complex in Ras El Bar for the export of urea and ammonia through the EAgrium Marine Terminal. This project was expected to cost around $1.2 billion and produce a maximum capacity of $1.3 million tons of fertilizer. After Damiettans learned of the EAgrium building plan, they feared that their main sources of income and health would be negatively affected by water and air pollution from the fertilizer complex's petrochemicals. The official construction of EAgrium plant in Damietta began in 2008.
A strong opposition of Damiettans formed against EAgrium, which included an eclectic coalition of Egyptians in different social classes and jobs. Lawyers, businessmen, parliamentary members, farmers, professors at universities, and members of volunteer organizations or unions were a part of this coalition. Some observers suggested that the local Damiettan officials in the coalition against EAgrium were opposed to the project due to a disagreement between the Damietta Governor Fathy El-Baradie and the central government, and that El-Baradie initiated the campaign against the building of this fertilizer complex. The opposition used a diverse range of protesting strategies including non-violent acts such as strikes, sit-ins, petitions, and road blocking.
The success of this campaign may be attributed to evoking the emotions of Damiettans by increasing their fear of the potential dangerous health effects of the plant, gaining the support from tourism developers in Ras El Bar, and the local government's rejection of the project. In addition, Damiettans sought President Mubarak's help to further combat the construction of the fertilizer complex. After many meetings on this issue between the state and locals, EAgrium did not build its petrochemical plant, but however, was given shares in Misr Fertilizer Production Company (MOPCO), which owns a fertilizer plant in Damietta. In 2011, MOPCO planned to build new fertilizer sites in Dameitta. Although the government decided to suspend construction of these two plants, Damiettans were reluctant to believe the government's suspension. The petrochemical plants are going to be built in Damietta despite protesters demanding to relocate the fertilizer plant to other industrial areas.
Idku protests against British Petroleum The governate of Idku located east of Alexandria in Egypt is mainly a fishing and agricultural community with a local population of 250,000 Egyptians that rely on Lake Idku. Idku has a negative history with petrochemical and natural gas companies since the companies neglect environmental issues that may affect the locals. In 2006, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) discovered that the companies, Rashpetco and Burullus, a joint company between BG, EGPC, and Malaysia's Petroleum Nasional Berhad, illegally dumped industrial waste in the Mediterranean Sea. Analysis of water samples dumped by Rashpetco indicated extremely high levels of nitrogen and oxygen, which passed Egypt's mandated, legal levels of these chemicals and have led to the destruction of Idku's marine and terrestrial environments.
When the Idku community found out that the Head of Egyptian Natural Gas Holding, Taher Abd El-Reheem, proposed a project to build a link between the Northern Alexandria Gas Project and the Al-Borlos Treatment Plant with help from British Petroleum (BP) and British Gap Group (BG), they began anti-BP campaigns and protests. After a year of protesting, BP was forced to relocate its proposed pipeline to another area.
Monuments Pollution damage
Air and water pollution in Cairo has caused white and black crust to form on historical monuments and other places of cultural and historical importance, such as the Sultan Al-Ghuri Complex, pyramids at Giza, Bab Zuweila, Al-Azhar Mosque, and the Cairo Citadel.Metwally, A.A. and A. Bakr Ramadan. The Role of Air Pollutants and Sewage Waste in Acceleration of Degradation of the Islamic Cultural Heritage of Cairo. Comparative Risk Assessment and Environmental Decision Making, 363–370. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands: 2004.Fitzner, Bernd, Kurt Heinrichs, and Dennis La Bouchardiere. Limestone weathering of historical monuments in Cairo, Egypt. 2002. In Natural Stone, Weathering Phenomena, Conservation Strategies and Case Studies edited by S. Siegesmund (ed.), Thomas Norbert Weiss, Axel Vollbrecht. Combustion of carbonaceous gases in an environment of rising humidity causes the black crust to appear on the top sections of outside walls. White crusts and efflorescences appear on the lower sections of these walls because of rising soil salinity, which increases halite, or rock salt, depositions. The rising, salt-loaded water table in the Nile Delta, where Cairo is located, deposits salts in monuments' foundation stones that rise up buildings through capillary action and are left behind as the water evaporates. The water table is rising throughout Egypt because of sewage leakage and infiltration, factory or agricultural runoff, and inadequate groundwater pumping.Selim, S.A., A.M. Hamdan, and A.A. Rdy. (2014) Groundwater Rising as Environmental Problem, Causes and Solutions: Case Study from Aswan City, Upper Egypt. Open Journal of Geology, 4, 324-341.
The crust that forms on buildings made of limestone like Al-Ghuri makes them susceptible to erosion, as the crust disrupts the integrity of the stone and falls off, removing the outer surface of the building. A major rescue effort is currently unfeasible because of Egypt's political and economic climate.Cowell, Alan. Underground Pollution Imperils Egypt's Relics. New York Times, Jan. 30 1990. Salty and wet environments also lead to microbial growth. Without regular cleaning, historic buildings made of limestone, due to their high porosity, will continue to decay as a result of biological colonization.
Encroachment of water