Parliament comes to the Nile's rescue

By Gamal Essam El-Din

Committee members charged that lax enforcement of environmental and building laws had turned the river into a refuse dump for dead animals, sewage water and industrial waste. Moreover, members complained that a wall of high-rise buildings had effectively blocked off any decent view of the Nile.

Committee members suggested the establishment of an independent body to protect the Nile, empowered to regulate activities on the river. But the proposal was rejected by a representative of the Irrigation Ministry who attended the committee debate. More meetings are scheduled for the near future; ministers of irrigation, environment, local administration, interior and agriculture have been invited to attend.

Lashing out at the Irrigation Ministry, Fayda Kamel, the committee's deputy chairman, said the Nile has been victimised by what she called "aggressive activities," including the dumping of industrial waste and the construction of unlicensed buildings along its banks. Kamel, backed by MP Mansour Abdel-Rahman, suggested that the banks be used for growing flowers for export.

Mohieddin Ammar, an MP for the Nile Delta province of Kafr El-Sheikh, said that dead animals and industrial waste were major Nile pollutants.

Sayed Hammad, an MP from Mansoura, pointed to corruption as one factor that has led to the Nile's pollution. He charged local administration officials with receiving bribes to turn a blind eye to urban encroachment on the Nile and not enforcing demolition orders for buildings illegally constructed on the river's banks. "The law is applied only to ordinary citizens," Hammad said, "but enforcement turns lax when it comes to organisations which consider themselves above the law." Hammad charged that some of the organisations in question are affiliated to the Interior Ministry.

Ahmed Barakat, MP for the Qalyubiya Governorate, said the responsibilities of the Irrigation Ministry and the local administration had overlapped. "I found that some buildings established along the river were licensed by the Cairo City Council. We have to deal with this overlapping, but construction on the banks should be completely banned," Barakat said.

Mohamed Fathi, chief of the irrigation sector at the Irrigation Ministry, rejected the call to establish an independent organisation that would safeguard the Nile. "Protection of the River Nile is being efficiently managed by the Irrigation Ministry," he said. "Let me emphasise that the Nile is the cleanest river in the world, regardless of all the talk about its pollution."

According to Fathi, 96 per cent of Egypt's water needs are supplied from the Nile. "This has required us to draw up an ambitious plan to ensure more efficient use of Nile water so we can increase the area of land under cultivation to 11.4 million feddans by the year 2017," he said. This will include 3.4 million feddans to be provided with water by the El-Salam and Sheikh Zayed canals in Sinai and Toshka.

Fathi added that LE16 million are being put into a plan to beautify the banks of the river and protect it against pollution and encroachment. The plan's first phase, a LE10 million scheme covering areas between Kasr El-Nil and Abul-Ela bridges in Cairo, has been completed.

Fathi insisted that the Irrigation Ministry has the prerogative of licensing activities on the river's banks. "Licences are provided to a range of social clubs, hotels, tourist marinas and river police forces," he said. However, he added that coordination is necessary between city councils and the Irrigation Ministry, as well as other ministries, such as the Ministry of Tourism. "Coordination is necessary to ensure that buildings on the Nile conform to the required specifications and agree with the river's aesthetic qualities," he said.

The People's Assembly's culture, tourism and media committee rapped the Irrigation Ministry firmly on the knuckles on Sunday for what it said was its failure to protect the Nile, the country's principal lifeline, reports Gamal Essam El-Din.

Committee members charged that lax enforcement of environmental and building laws had turned the river into a refuse dump for dead animals, sewage water and industrial waste. Moreover, members complained that a wall of high-rise buildings had effectively blocked off any decent view of the Nile.

Committee members suggested the establishment of an independent body to protect the Nile, empowered to regulate activities on the river. But the proposal was rejected by a representative of the Irrigation Ministry who attended the committee debate. More meetings are scheduled for the near future; ministers of irrigation, environment, local administration, interior and agriculture have been invited to attend.

Lashing out at the Irrigation Ministry, Fayda Kamel, the committee's deputy chairman, said the Nile has been victimised by what she called "aggressive activities," including the dumping of industrial waste and the construction of unlicensed buildings along its banks. Kamel, backed by MP Mansour Abdel-Rahman, suggested that the banks be used for growing flowers for export.

Mohieddin Ammar, an MP for the Nile Delta province of Kafr El-Sheikh, said that dead animals and industrial waste were major Nile pollutants.

Sayed Hammad, an MP from Mansoura, pointed to corruption as one factor that has led to the Nile's pollution. He charged local administration officials with receiving bribes to turn a blind eye to urban encroachment on the Nile and not enforcing demolition orders for buildings illegally constructed on the river's banks. "The law is applied only to ordinary citizens," Hammad said, "but enforcement turns lax when it comes to organisations which consider themselves above the law." Hammad charged that some of the organisations in question are affiliated to the Interior Ministry.

Ahmed Barakat, MP for the Qalyubiya Governorate, said the responsibilities of the Irrigation Ministry and the local administration had overlapped. "I found that some buildings established along the river were licensed by the Cairo City Council. We have to deal with this overlapping, but construction on the banks should be completely banned," Barakat said.

Mohamed Fathi, chief of the irrigation sector at the Irrigation Ministry, rejected the call to establish an independent organisation that would safeguard the Nile. "Protection of the River Nile is being efficiently managed by the Irrigation Ministry," he said. "Let me emphasise that the Nile is the cleanest river in the world, regardless of all the talk about its pollution."

According to Fathi, 96 per cent of Egypt's water needs are supplied from the Nile. "This has required us to draw up an ambitious plan to ensure more efficient use of Nile water so we can increase the area of land under cultivation to 11.4 million feddans by the year 2017," he said. This will include 3.4 million feddans to be provided with water by the El-Salam and Sheikh Zayed canals in Sinai and Toshka.

Fathi added that LE16 million are being put into a plan to beautify the banks of the river and protect it against pollution and encroachment. The plan's first phase, a LE10 million scheme covering areas between Kasr El-Nil and Abul-Ela bridges in Cairo, has been completed.

Fathi insisted that the Irrigation Ministry has the prerogative of licensing activities on the river's banks. "Licences are provided to a range of social clubs, hotels, tourist marinas and river police forces," he said. However, he added that coordination is necessary between city councils and the Irrigation Ministry, as well as other ministries, such as the Ministry of Tourism. "Coordination is necessary to ensure that buildings on the Nile conform to the required specifications and agree with the river's aesthetic qualities," he said.