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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 April 2000 Issue No. 477 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 April 2000 Issue No. 477
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Protect and preserve
By Nadia Makram Ebeid *
The world is facing a huge challenge: how to achieve accelerated development, in all its forms, while protecting the environment. This challenge is particularly acute in the developing world, and especially in Egypt.
Environmental protection is now high on Egypt's political agenda. President Mubarak has asserted that preservation of the environment is a necessity, and a number of concrete initiatives have been taken. Perhaps most importantly, the Nile has been declared free of polluted industrial waste water, thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Irrigation. The task was accomplished at a cost of $100 million.
At the same time, much work has been done to make Egypt's industrial zones, responsible for almost 70 per cent of pollution, environmentally friendly. Problems ranging from air pollution to noise pollution and industrial waste water treatment have been addressed in five of these cities, including 6 October, Sadat and 10 Ramadan.
Efforts have been focused on the implementation of an integrated, functional solid-waste management programme in which the private sector will play a significant role. With the help of the EU, we are using the GIS (Geographical Information System) to choose the best sites for waste disposal.
We have also removed accumulated waste in 10 governorates including Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, the Red Sea and South Sinai, at a cost of LE80 million. To solve the problem in these governorates is to solve 70 per cent of the solid waste problem nationwide.
In an attempt to preserve Egypt's biological diversity, great efforts are being exerted to develop Egypt's natural protectorates in an integrated manner and ensure the sustainability of their resources. Twenty-one sites, which represent 8.5 per cent of Egypt's total area, have been declared natural protectorates. Eventually, we hope to cover at least 15 per cent of the country.
While these initiatives are encouraging, however, many more challenges remain.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is minister of state for environmental affairs.
