Al-Masry Al-Youm has captured in pictures how tons of sewage and industrial waste from seven drainage ditches flow into the drainage canal of Shahada, in the village of el-Nassarya, Gharbiya Governorate. The Shahada drainage canal, which in turn feeds into the Nile, serves tens of villages in the district of Samnud, and the pollutants are killing fish and spreading diseases and foul odors. Residents of the area have sent numerous complaints to the environment and irrigation ministries demanding an end to the pollution, but are yet to receive a response. They claim that some fishermen breed fish in the drainage canal and then sell the fish to residents, despite the inherent dangers of such a practice. Abdel Halim Halal, who represents the district of Samnud in the People's Assembly, said he has filed requests for information about the issue to no avail. Sayyed Ahmad el-Matuli, a resident of el-Nassarya, described how a number of secondary drainage ditches empty sewage into the Shahada drainage canal, adding that his village's drainage project has not yet been completed, which means the local administration have been forced to dump sewage into a drainage canal that empties directly into the Nile. Shaban Zahran, owner of a local stone quarry, revealed to Al-Masry Al-Youm that sewage trucks dump waste directly into the Nile while neither the environment ministry nor the city council take action. Ali Abu Habib, director of the local tax authority, said the owners of more than 500 acres bordering the drainage canal use its sewage to irrigate their land. Habib confirmed that locals also breed fish in the canal and then sell the fish in Aswan. Khalid el-Nagar, a farmer, said farmers use the draining water for irrigation because it is no more polluted than the Nile water which runs through the area. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
