Reem Leila reports on the appearance of a massive brown cloud of toxic waste A cloud consisting of soot, smog and toxic chemicals is altering weather patterns in large parts of Asia, according to a report released on 13 November by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The brownish cloud, which in places is more than a mile thick, is clearly visible from airplanes and stretches from the Arabian Peninsula to the Yellow Sea. According to Engineer Ahmed Hegazi, head of the Environment Quality Department at the Egyptian Environment Affairs Agency (EEAA), the centre of the cloud is South Korea. "It may be more than 6,000km wide and 3km long though it is very unlikely to reach Egypt's skies. South Korea is tens of thousands kilometres away from Egypt," says Hegazi. The UNEP report warns that the cloud, which is expected to pass over some of the Middle East countries within the coming seven days, poses a major risk to the environment and could harm agricultural produce. It can also lead to serious respiratory problems, and can block up to 25 per cent of the sunlight in areas over which it passes. Hegazi, though, is sceptical of the UNEP findings. "EEAA monitors have not registered any of the phenomena mentioned in the report. Egypt's sky is clear and sunny, the atmosphere is wonderful these days. Everyone is enjoying the climate and nothing is going to disrupt the Egyptian skies." UNEP blames the cloud on pollution resulting from the burning of agriculture waste which joins with other pollutants to form smog which, if it reaches a sufficient height will spread throughout the atmosphere. Egypt has been identified by the UNEP as being among 13 hotspots that contribute to rising levels of pollution and while the brown cloud phenomenon might not be visible in Egypt's skies the burning of rice straw, which contributes to Cairo's own seasonal black cloud, may also fuel the much larger brown cloud. Ahmed Abul-Seoud, head of Air Quality Department at the EEAA, connects the appearance of the "brown cloud" to wood burning in East Asia, a practice condemned by the UNEP. "The UNEP has issued this report to urge the Asian countries to decrease the amount of wood they burn. The Middle East is unlikely to be affected. We are not in the pathway of the cloud. It is in the upper layer of the atmosphere and even if it does head this way it will be more or less dispersed before reaching us. For now nothing is threatening the Egyptian atmosphere or agriculture."
