Rain and cold are becoming the Egyptian norm. Reem Leila reports on climate change and its impact on the country Last week, weather forecasters warned of heavy rains, strong winds and flooding in Upper Egypt, Sinai and Red Sea cities. In previous years, the same warnings were issued, but precautionary measures were not taken. Accordingly, Aswan and Arish were governorates which suffered the most after houses were destroyed in the floods. This year, winter has had its own agenda, with heavy rain, hail and strong winds lashing and literally flooding the country, taking several degrees off our famous warm temperatures. Every year during this particular time, some Egyptian cities are inundated with rain made worse by an underdeveloped drainage system. Although officials are becoming used to dealing with hail and heavy rains, Cairo's 15,000 and Alexandria's 5,000 drains in many streets have not helped, proving that the country simply cannot cope with heavy showers despite millions being spent on digging new drains. Forecasters insist that Egypt's weather is the same as it was 30 years ago. According to Mohamed Eissa, head of the Central Public Agency for Meteorology (CPAM), Egypt's poor weather will improve within the next few days. Eissa pointed out that each year at the same time Egypt is hit with what is called the 'Epiphany storm' which in Egypt is associated with turbulent and wintry weather. Every 10 years the storm hits eight times. "Egypt's climate has not changed. What people are feeling now is due to astronomy changes which happen between the earth and the sun. Human activities have nothing to do with global warming or climate changes," argued Eissa. He said weather will disrupt maritime traffic and cause low visibility. "The weather will be cold during the day and colder at night," stated Eissa. Four people were killed on the Cairo- Fayoum desert road and more than 30 injured as bad weather, including a heavy fog, caused mayhem across Egypt. Nineteen people were injured in Suez Tuesday morning when a tourist bus overturned due to low visibility caused by fog and sand storms. Injured passengers were transported to Suez Public Hospital. Violent rains blocked the 26 July Corridor and its western arch leading to 6 October governorate, with long stretches of asphalt becoming deep puddles of water. Later in the evening "cars were literally swimming," said a commuter who was stuck. Al-Nasr and Salah Salem streets along with many side streets in Nasr City and Heliopolis suffered traffic jams as the streets submerged in mud and water lakes. Dozens of traffic accidents were reported around the capital. Traffic came to a halt in many areas in Cairo, with the usual mini-lakes that Cairo swims in with every heavy rain. Drivers desperately tried to find alternative routes. Downtown was a real mess, with Tahrir Square turning into a huge garage of cars unable to move for hours. The situation was just as bad in Alexandria and Port Said governorates. Streets were blocked with floating cars while anxious pedestrians tried hard to reach a safe and dry place. According to press reports, there were waves as high as a two-storey building in both governorates. Authorities closed down ports after winds reached more than 25 knots (50 kilometres per hour) and waves five metres high pounded the shore. CPAM officials have informed all authorities and governors -- like happened last year -- of the rain to come but the warning could not prevent streets from being flooded, which caused serious traffic jams. Egypt does not have a drainage network. In 1997, in the aftermath of a heavy downpour that wreaked havoc on Cairo's main streets, the government ordered the Ministry of Housing and New Communities to establish a rain drainage system for LE125 million. The plan gave priority to main streets in Heliopolis and Nasr City. Last year, streets in Heliopolis were dug up to establish drains to absorb excessive amounts of water yet Cairo's residents can still wallow in shallow water. According to a report issued in 2010 by the People's Assembly Transport and Telecommunication Committee, the capacity of the current sewage network cannot accommodate too much rainfall. The report revealed that the government had spent more than 106 million euros to improve the country's bridges and roads. Of the money, LE1,200 million were allocated to pave the Cairo-Alexandria desert road, LE919 million to improve the Port Said- Alexandria road, LE600 million to expand the Alexandria-Marsa Matrouh desert road, and LE710 million to improve the Shubra-Benha road. In addition, LE250 million were spent to improve the overall network of the country's roads and bridges. Ahmed Nassar, head of the Cleanliness and Beautification Authority, argued that the present sewage system is capable of accommodating rainfall. "What happened this year was that the downpour was exceptionally heavy and occurred during peak hours when the sewers were already full. The authority immediately sent dozens of trucks to drain the streets. Most areas were clear of water the following day." Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, director of the Roads Department at the Cairo governorate, said establishing a rain drainage network in Cairo is a must, even if it rains for only one day. That Egypt's weather is dry for the major part of the year is definitely not an excuse. "I don't believe it's that costly," Abdel-Aziz said.
