Two weeks ago, lofty pronouncements about the "black cloud" not appearing this year were made. Mahmoud Bakr and Yasmine El-Rashidi report on the reality The theory was that this year would be different -- the annual black cloud of smog that suffocates Cairo's skies was being "curbed", the Environment Ministry announced, thanks to stringent measures. The reality, two weeks later, is decidedly different. "I have an awful headache," said Salma Hassan at a recent iftar gathering. "I think it's the black cloud," she suggested, stirring up debate. The ensuing conversation made clear that the gathering was unanimous -- the black cloud is there, and people have difficulty breathing. "Of course there is a black cloud, I'm not saying there isn't," said Magdi Allam, a manager at the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs for Greater Cairo and Fayoum. "We took measures this year to minimise it, and indeed, it is 40 per cent less than last year," Allam told Al-Ahram Weekly. This year saw LE1 million worth of rice straw being transformed into compost, as well as stringent monitoring of activity within a 40-km radius of the capital city to monitor hazardous fumes caused by the burning of rice straw and garbage. The smog, however, is also attributed to the use of mazote instead of diesel oil in smelteries and brick factories. "The hazardous fumes are present all year," said environmentalist Mona Zain. "The reason for 'the black cloud' is the conglomeration of fumes from factories coupled with the rice burning at this time of year -- that is where the problem stems." Zain, however, agreed with Allam that there was less smog this year. "Scientifically there is definitely a drop," she said. "Even from last year, where we experienced this sensation of 'inability to breathe' for a much longer period of time." The ministry's "clean air" programmes are multi- tiered. One LE8 million programme involves clearing garbage-dumping sites around the ring road, particularly those at Musturud, Ard Al-Liwa, Imbaba, and Al-Gabal Al-Ahmar. Nearly 0.4 million cubic metres have reportedly already been removed. Allam also told the Weekly that a committee of representatives from various ministries also convenes regularly, to look into pollution, fuel, and refuse management. "It's a priority," Allam said. "This year we stopped 3,700 cases of burning. We are also stringently enforcing fines, which can reach up to LE10,000 and include referral to the public prosecutor. Of course there is more work to be done, and we are planning for more rigorous measures for next year." The history of the black cloud and rice straw burning phenomenon stems back to several years ago, in 1999, when rice farmers started to complain that once the crop was harvested, the rice hay husk would take up too much room on their land. The environment minister at the time, Nadia Makram Ebeid, proposed that if farmers compiled the rice husk by a certain date, the ministry would have it collected and recycled for various "creative" uses. It didn't happen, and at night youngsters, for fun, would set the hay on fire. Rather than spread, the husk burnt for days in its place, rising into the atmosphere in a thick "black cloud". That plot of land was then freed for cultivation; and burning became the most viable solution for ridding farmers of this burden. The promise this year was that things would be different; and indeed, according to officials, the problem has been alleviated by a significant margin. "But we still can't breathe," complained Amira Hassan, a housewife and mother. "I already have problems because I smoke," she told the Weekly. "Now at times at night I really feel I am suffocating. I don't think there is less of a black cloud this year." The reality is that there is less of a cloud, but stagnant weather have meant that the fumes are not being carried out of the city. An official at the Meteorological Authority told the Weekly that October saw up to ten hours of "still air" per day. "During most times of the year, the wind blows the pollutants away from the city," the official said. "The problem is when weather conditions are unstable, instead of pollutants heading up during the evening, they head down, and with no wind to carry them away -- and with the Northern autumn winds actually carrying them into the city -- the problem of the black cloud occurs. This year has seen much more stagnant air than last year." A 2003 Environment Ministry study found that the burning of agricultural waste in October and November each year was responsible for 42 per cent of the black cloud, while car exhaust and industrial emissions each accounted for 23 per cent of the phenomenon; the incineration of garbage was said to be responsible for 12 per cent. While this year's measures -- including banning pits and kilns from operating in October and November -- have meant a drop in fumes, ministry officials themselves said there was much work to be done. "We are distributing 77 presses to the governorates in the Delta to compress the refuse," the ministry's Allam said. "But of course more needs to be done. Egypt lacks facilities to recycle the waste right now, but that is part of the future planning. Rice husks," he said, "can be used to make paper, wood and fodder." "We also must encourage the nation's youth to implement recycling projects," he said. "We have to show them, financially, how they can gain from such nationally beneficial projects." International aid agencies also play a significant role in this national scheme, with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Japan International Cooperation Agency, as well as Canadian and Danish organisations all being involved. "There is much work being done, and there have been improvements," Allam said. "Yes, there is still a black cloud, and yes, people are complaining. Part of the problem though is that from year to year people seem to forget the intensity of the fumes the year before. This year there is a drop; it's unquestionable. Next year it will be even better."
