By Mariz Tadros On the roof of an old narrow building in the crowded Cairo quarter of Rod Al-Farag, a film director and his crew struggle with unruly extras, unwanted on-lookers -- and the overwhelming heat. The last is probably the most difficult to deal with, especially as the heatwave has now been dragging on for over two weeks. With temperatures set to remain high, even the ducks can't cope. In one scene, a trail of ducks was to have waddled across the roof-top but, after a while, they almost passed out in the blistering heat and had to be transferred quickly to a waiting bathtub. While filming inside, the crew can't open the windows or use the fans for technical reasons, "so basically, we are working in temperatures that range between 55 and 60 degrees Celsius. Even when we are working at 5 am, it is hot. We are working in a sauna," grinned Youssri Nassrallah, the director. Fawzi Ghoneim, director of the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC), conceded that this is the longest heatwave Egypt has experienced in 30 years, and one of the worst. The tropical conditions are set to continue for a few more days yet. According to official sources, temperatures in Cairo have reached 38 degrees Celsius, 33 along the northern coast and 43 in Upper Egypt. But many believe that temperatures are much higher. "This summer is not necessarily that much hotter than previous summers; it is just that every year, people think that what they are experiencing is worse than what came before when, in fact, it is not," Ghoneim said. On the other hand, he did confide that "temperature is measured in the shade and, of course, temperature in the sun is a good 5-8 degrees higher than what we record and announce." The current heatwave, according to Ghoneim, is due to the Indian Monsoon Low coming from the east, which induces an increase not only in temperature but also humidity. He insisted that humidity is the real culprit that people tend to overlook. Air pollution is also a leading factor in pushing temperature and humidity upward, contends Samia Galal, counsellor to the minister of the environment. "Pollution creates a greenhouse effect," Galal pointed out. "When the sun rays reach the surface of the ground, they are supposed to be reflected back, but what happens is that solar energy gets trapped in dust and other particles in the air, and so the temperature rises." The list of polluting materials is unending in cities like Cairo -- vehicle exhaust, unremoved construction material, industrial fumes and a multitude of heat-trapping gases, to mention but a few. According to Gallal, Cairo tends to get the worst of any heatwave because of the scarcity of greenery (plants absorb the carbon dioxide responsible for trapping heat), its many skyscrapers and its high population density. "You end up in a vicious cycle; people use fans and air conditioners to fight off the heatwave, but that in itself means using up more electricity which comes from power plants. Power plants, in turn, have to use up more fuel, and that generates gases that pollute the air. As the proportion of these heat-trapping gases in the air increases, temperature rises," she sighed. Mohammed El-Ra'ei, professor of environmental studies at the University of Alexandria, emphasises that the heatwave currently affecting Egypt and other countries is a manifestation of global warming. El-Ra'ei believes that Egypt and the world can expect an increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves in the future. He adds that Egyptians are better able to tolerate intense heat than, for instance, Europeans or Americans. In the United States, the heat has led to 141 deaths, including 94 in Texas, since June. In Athens earlier this month, Greeks and tourists suffered from four days of scorching sun with temperatures soaring to 45 degrees, in what was considered one of the worst heatwaves ever to hit the country. In the United States, the heat is blamed for $1.5 billion in agricultural damage. The temperature instability caused by global warming and pollution affects Egyptian agriculture as well. "In Egypt farmers grow their plants according to the Pharaonic calendar which delineates the expected weather throughout the year. When you start getting heatwaves of an unexpected and abnormal duration, frequency and intensity, they disrupt the cycle and you risk losing certain fruit crops which cannot withstand the scorching heat," El-Ra'ei said. Despite the current heatwave, he added, the weather in Egypt is much better than in many countries in the Arab world, such as Kuwait where temperatures frequently reach 50 degrees Celsius. The RSMC predicts that there will be four or five more heatwaves affecting Egypt between now and September and temperatures will rise even higher. This particular cloud does have a silver lining, however; the sizzling weather is good news for mechanics who have more burst tyres to replace and repair than ever, and of course for fruit juice shops and vendors whose businesses are booming.
