Desecrating the river

By Mohamed Abul-Ghar

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Since the dawn of history Egyptians have recognised that the Nile is the country's lifeline. Ancient Egyptians treated the river with a respect that bordered on worship. And in recent times Egyptian engineers have shown themselves adept at managing the river, constructing dams and bridges and digging canals.

Preliminary studies for building the High Dam started years before the revolution. The project was then re-evaluated after 1952 and implemented only after extensive and careful studies assessing the dam's efficiency and safety.

In recent decades, though, the river has lost the respect that earlier governments had paid it. It started with the pollution of the river by factories. Then maintenance and the cleaning of the river and canals were neglected. And now it is as if the river has ceased to exist, or at least that is how it seems when plans are afoot to widen the cornice in Cairo simply by lopping off a bit of the Nile. The excuse is, of course, to facilitate the flow of traffic, though everyone knows the real reason is the massive new hotel that dominates that portion of the river.

Such projects require years of study and evaluation by unbiased organisations before they are implemented. UNESCO and other international organisations interested in cultural and environmental preservation should be consulted. When such a huge project is rushed into with unseemly haste by a single party suspicions are bound to be raised concerning the real intentions of the authorities. Indeed, several well-known international experts have expressed strong reservations over the project.

The Nile, in the end, belongs to the people of Egypt. And even if this project is eventually shown to be beneficial after thorough study it is up to the people to decide whether or not it is implemented.

This week's Soapbox speaker is a professor of gynaecology and obstetrics at Cairo University.