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AS PART of the campaign to increase greenery in Cairo, on the occasion of World Environment Day, the Ministry of Environment has contributed 604,000 and 500,000 trees to the city's emerging green belt (a 22km long, 50m wide strip of greenery to be completed in collaboration with the armed forces at a cost of LE16 million) and the provincial governorates, respectively. The latter move takes place in the wake of the Million Tree Campaign, undertaken under the auspices of Mrs Suzanne Mubarak.

According to Minister of Environment Maged George, the green belt has long been the dream of many environmentalists in Egypt. It was the completion of the Cairo Ring Road that provided a ready opportunity to embark on the creation of a green belt, since it reduced planning and surveying to a minimum; a major part of the project could be completed simply by lining the existing ring road with trees. The process was further facilitated by the fact that the ring road had been constructed at an elevation. Among the many benefits of the green belt project, George added, is that it will act as a shield, filtering the wind blowing from the Western and Eastern deserts and thereby preventing dust from reaching Greater Cairo. The ministry decided to start with the road's eastern arch, a 22km stretch from the Qatamiya intersection to the Ismailia highway. The first stage of the project also provides for the major intersections around Greater Cairo, the borders of satellite cities and open spaces at a 50km radius from Cairo. This will result in the creation of an extra "lung" to absorb the city's pollutants. The planting scheme provides for 12 rows of trees at every point; and species to be planted include acacia, casuarina and cypress.

The minister also indicated that the next two stages will begin as follows: the Qatamiya-Ain Sukhna highway intersection with the Cairo-Suez highway (14km); and the Cairo-Suez highway intersection with the Cairo-Ismailia highway (8km).