Torrential rains in Upper Egypt earlier this month washed massive amounts of sand particles into the Nile. The subsequent turbidity has discoloured the river water which now appears yellow in Cairo, a phenomenon unseen in decades. Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Moteleb says the discolouration of the water poses no risk to health. He even argued the silt and mud in the river could increase the fertility of agriculture land. The Ministry of Water tests water quality at 35 sites in Lake Nasser and 30 along the course of the Nile. Laboratories in which the water is tested are accredited by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). “The turbidity was formed by the deposits of sand and dust as a result of the heavy rains on Upper Egypt two weeks ago,” says ground water expert Meghawry Shehata. He is less sanguine about the side effects of the turbidity than Abdel-Moteleb. Such high levels of turbidity have no agricultural use, he says, and if the water floods agricultural land are likely to have a detrimental effect on crops. He urges measures be taken to reduce the quantity of particles suspended in the river. Mohamed Abdel-Rahman, head of Greater Cairo Water and Sanitary Drainage Company, has declared a state of emergency at water stations across Egypt. “We analyse water samples hour by hour to check for any contamination,” says Abdel-Rahman. “Water supplies in Cairo are unlikely to be effected because of the amounts of water currently stored in station tanks.” Sayed Mustafa, Director of Water Analysis at the Ministry of Environmental Affairs, is pressing for the Ministry of Health to periodically check water stations to ensure they meet health standards. The recent turbidity, which head of the Irrigation Authority Mohamed Beltagi says reached 250 per cent following the arrival of the flood waters carrying dust and sand from Upper Egypt, may well be the least of the problems facing the Nile. A report, Water Pollution in Egypt, issued by the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), warned against industrial waste containing asbestos, lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, sulphur and petrochemicals being dumped in the river. “The Ministry of Interior should act on its responsibility to implement anti-pollution laws and take legal action against violators,” said the report. Following the discovery of thousands of dead fish in the Rashid branch of the Nile in January ECESR warned that the right of Egyptians to access clean water was being violated and that industry “continued to pollute without any checks”. The Ministry of Irrigation, meanwhile, is seeking to remove illegal buildings that encroach on waterways. Periodic inspections of river banks, canals, the other waterways have entered their second week. Once identified, illegal encroachments will be removed, says Abdel-Moteleb . The ministry has already coordinated with Menoufia Governorate to demolish one property, and with the Qalyoubia Security Directorate to remove 12 buildings encroaching on the Ismailia Canal. Plans are already underway to develop the Ismailia Canal and increase its supply of water from 19 million cubic meters per day to 23 million in order to meet increased demand for water, particularly in summer. Fears over water scarcity have been compounded by Ethiopia's construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam.
