In a Cabinet meeting chaired by Dr. Mostafa Madbouly today, Dr. Yasmin Fouad, Egypt’s Minister of Environment, provided a detailed update on the implementation of the urgent plan to reduce severe air pollution . The first phase of this plan, which covers the period from September 1 to November 7, 2024, focuses on addressing critical pollution levels in the country.
Dr. Fouad explained that the plan is being led by the Ministry of Environment in coordination with several ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Local Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Housing, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, and the Industrial Development Authority. It also involves the Cairo Air Pollution and Climate Change Management Project, part of a larger World Bank initiative.
The plan entails six key areas of action: agricultural waste collection and recycling, vehicle emissions control, industrial emissions monitoring, management of open burning of municipal waste, environmental awareness and training programs, and ongoing monitoring through central operations rooms.
For the first area, agricultural waste collection and recycling, the Ministry of Agriculture coordinated the collection of rice straw, with protocols signed for handling this waste across various governorates.
In the second area, vehicle emissions, 472 campaigns were carried out to measure emissions from vehicles, in collaboration with the Environmental Police and traffic departments. A total of 32,120 vehicles were inspected, with 26,009 passing the tests. Additionally, periodic inspections of the public transport bus fleet were conducted, with 1,196 buses tested, of which 427 passed.
Dr. Fouad further discussed the third area, controlling industrial emissions, stating that inspections were carried out at 169 major industrial facilities across industrial zones in collaboration with the Industrial Development Authority. These inspections resulted in recommendations for non-compliant facilities to submit environmental remediation plans. Furthermore, 4,371 small and medium-sized industrial facilities were inspected for environmental compliance.
Regarding the fourth area of controlling open burning of municipal waste, the Ministry ensured coordination and control measures were in place, deploying equipment to respond promptly to any incidents.
In the fifth area of environmental awareness, Dr. Fouad reported 25,594 seminars, 1,726 awareness meetings, 75 conferences, and 23,793 direct interactions with citizens, along with a six-week awareness campaign on social media.
For monitoring and assessment, the Ministry used satellite imagery and early warning systems to track open burning activities. Between September 1 and November 7, 2024, 3,397 burning points were identified in the Greater Cairo, Delta, and Assiut regions, showing a significant decrease compared to 6,714 burning points during the same period last year.
Dr. Fouad highlighted that industrial emissions were closely monitored through the National Network for Industrial Emissions, allowing real-time tracking of emissions and prompt action on violations.
In line with these efforts, Dr. Fouad presented data on air quality monitoring, showing improved air quality levels and a reduction of approximately 334,268 tons of total emissions, demonstrating the effectiveness of the measures taken.
The Minister emphasized that the success of the plan was due to clear strategic planning, enhanced awareness among farmers, the economic utilization of agricultural waste, the provision of collection sites for contractors, and the use of modern technologies for monitoring and tracking. Additionally, effective coordination with all participating entities has been vital in managing the open burning of both agricultural and municipal waste.
Dr. Fouad concluded by highlighting the positive media coverage of the initiative and outlined several recommendations for further enhancing air pollution control efforts and maximizing economic benefits in collaboration with the relevant authorities.
