This year the UN World Environment Day (5 June) bears the persuasive slogan "Green Cities -- plan for the planet". Mahmoud Bakr queried , minister of state for environmental affairs, about the implications for Egypt What's new in this year's Environment Day celebrations? The day is always an occasion to review our achievements in the field. This year the celebration will be multi-faceted. The Ministry of Environment is launching a green belt around Cairo, 50 metres wide and 100 kilometres long. With the first stage, which covers 22km, we are turning the Green Cities slogan into reality. I will personally visit six companies that have successfully met the conditions imposed by environment Law 4 for 1994 in the 10th of Ramadan City. I see their success as a reward for environmental harmony. During the celebrations, we will also honour the environmentalist pioneers for their efforts in protecting the environment. The first Egyptian Environmental Forum, a six- day event discussing the most important environmental problems and ways to address them, will be held as of 6 June. For the first time, we will publish a report on the state of the environment in Egypt, so that the facts may be presented to the public with complete transparency. And we will also launch a campaign to combat noise, for this is one factor negatively affecting the health of the citizens and their productivity. We will also arrange free trips to natural protectorates in Greater Cairo. And we will have an environmental contest throughout Egyptian governorates, with cash rewards for the winners. Details of the environmental activities during the celebrations can be found on the ministry's website: www.eeaa.gov.eg What, exactly, are the forum's discussion topics? Cities, NGOs, women, international cooperation, industry and tourism -- naturally with reference to how these things affect and are affected by the environment. Topics including protecting the Nile, cleaner production and climate change. The forum features Egyptian scientists, environmentalists and intellectuals. What are the contributions of the various official bodies taking part in this year's celebrations? To emphasise the government's interest in environmental affairs and to ensure mutual cooperation, several ministries have come up with ways to celebrate the day, including the defence and military production ministries. For one day, citizens will be invited to the October War Panorama, the Military Museum and the parks of the armed forces -- free of charge. The Ministry of Culture, too, will invite the public to six theatres for free. And the Ministry of Transport will reduce metro fares from 75 to 50 piastres. Nile boats will carry messages about protecting the river, while the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with us, has bought 500,000 trees to be given away to the governorates. The ministries of the interior, tourism, foreign trade, industry, waqf, youth, information and education, as well as the Coptic Church, are also taking part. Schools, for example, will preside over cleaning and tree planting campaigns. Plays with environmental and health themes will be staged. We are coordinating with municipal authorities: each governorate has prepared its own programme. And many businessmen as well as sports clubs are taking part, which goes to show that the public is as eager to protect Egyptian resources. The latter will hand out informative and promotional leaflets to their members. Will Egyptian cities really become green, as the slogan implies? We are doing our best, within our limited resources, to spread the colour green throughout Egypt. We have a forestation project underway, which uses treated sewage water to irrigate timber forests in desert areas. Some forests have already grown, others are being planted -- 600 feddans in Aswan, 468 in Beni Sweif, 700 in Al-Wadi Al- Gadid, 200 in Arish, 1,000 in Sohag, 200 in Hurgada and 200 in Nuweiba. We've set up eight plant nurseries in various governorates, and seven botanical gardens. Of course, we require participation from the public, the NGOs, the governorates and the ministries. Greenery is a main aspect of our effort to improve air quality and reduce pollution. Greenery is a natural filter for pollutants. We encourage and support all requests to plant nurseries and lumber forests. What are the obstacles you're facing? I wouldn't call it obstacle -- lack of awareness. Environmental awareness must be spread in all sectors. We need the help of the average citizen, for only the public can make things happen. There are many people helping us in our campaigns. My hope is that citizens everywhere, will play a key role in this, actively participating in protecting the environment. Industry being a major factor in the environment, how are we doing on the industrial front? The ministry has created a special department for environmental inspection, which regularly inspects industrial plants and assesses their compliance with environment law. Violations, first, solicit a warning. If it is not heeded the perpetrators are prosecuted. As of last March, we've inspected 700 industrial plants and reviewed the situation of 20 companies that were violating the law in 2004. We've revised the executive regulations of the environment law, and the cabinet is in the process of ratifying them. This is a big step forward. We are in full coordination with the Ministry of Industry to ensure industrial compliance. More recently we formed joint committees representing both ministries -- industry and environment. Environmental projects are currently underway in 331 industrial plants as part of the Cleaner Production programme: 10th of Ramadan, 6th of October, Al-Sadat, Borg Al-Arab, Al-Amiriya and Obour. The total cost of the programme is LE1.2 billion. So far, 70 per cent of our factories conform to environmental regulations. The ministry is willing to provide help to investors wishing to switch to natural gas. This is done in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum. Through donors, we are also facilitating the work of investors wishing to do so. Several projects on industrial pollution are underway, also with help from international donors. Of these, 24 are carried out with a $35 million grant from the World Bank and 27 are implemented with finance from the German Bank for Reconstruction at a cost of 26 million euros. The principal aim is to develop environment-friendly technology. How does the ministry encourage investment in the field of environmental protection? The Ministry of Environment is spreading the message that investing in the environment is both good and profitable. We are encouraging businessmen to venture into various environmental projects, by explaining to them the social and economic benefits. The ministry provides consulting services to all investors -- guidance and research. And the Environmental Protection Fund is helping us in this respect. Investment in the environment is on the rise, and the private sector is actively involved in many projects, including the recycling of agricultural and solid refuse. How would you sum up the achievements made so far? And how do you see the future of environmental work in Egypt? Concerning air quality, we continue to maintain a national network to gauge airborne pollution. We have 42 monitoring stations located in the most exposed areas across the country -- four in Beni Sweif -- and over 20 training programmes; a national team is being trained to use modern gauging equipment. Since 1 July 2004, a programme to inspect vehicle pollution in Cairo has been put in use. The ministry bought equipment to analyse the exhaust of vehicles licensed at 22 traffic units in Cairo. A training course on the use of the equipment has been organised for Ministry of Interior officials and so far 150,000 vehicles have been inspected in Cairo, Giza, and Qalyoubia. We are currently implementing the programme on the highways leading to Cairo. In coordination with the Ministry of Industry, we have arranged for a ministerial decree banning the production of motorcycles with dual-piston mechanism. As for the switching of government vehicles to natural gas, the Ministry of Education has cooperated with the Ministry of Finance in this respect. So far 1,182 vehicles belonging to 26 government departments have been adapted, at a total cost of LE7.1 million. Currently, 500 government vehicles are undergoing the same process, at a cost of about LE3 million. We are also examining 606 government vehicles to see if they can be converted. The Ministry of Environment is engaged in a joint project with USAID and the Qalyoubia governorate to clean five lead-polluted sites in Shubra Al-Kheima, where there used to be lead foundries in the past. Egypt has progressed by leaps and strides in the field of biological diversity. The number of natural protectorates has gone up to 24 since the protectorate law was passed in 1982. There will be 16 more protectorates by 2017. A complete plan has been drafted for solid waste management in Greater Cairo, at the cost of LE19.5 million. And this is not to mention similar plans for seven governorates in the Delta, which will cost LE110 million. Another, LE453 million plan is also in the works. And in Upper Egypt, four programmes are underway, costing LE65 million; future programmes will cost LE330 million. What is the extent and nature of foreign help? The Ministry of Environment is trying to broaden the scope of its cooperation with international donors so as to promote development in the country. We've signed memoranda of understanding, protocols of cooperation and executive programmes with Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. And we're currently holding talks with UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon -- to boost Arab cooperation on the bilateral and multilateral levels. The ministry is also seeking closer ties with donor countries in Europe, such as Italy, Denmark, Germany, and of late Austria, with a view to investing in environmental fields in Egypt, particularly in natural protectorates. In the recycling of solid waste, we cooperate with Finland and the UK in particular, while clean energy solicits help from Finland and Germany. Regarding Egypt's Mediterranean location, the ministry is coordinating with Adriatic countries like Croatia and Albania. Egypt is a member of the Mediterranean action plan, designed to ensure the implementation of the Barcelona agreement.
