The government's decision to relocate the controversial E Agrium fertiliser plant has yet to allay the fears of civil society in the Mediterranean city, reports Mohamed El-Sayed The Supreme Council of Energy's decision to cancel the construction of the E Agrium fertiliser plant planned for Ras Al-Barr island in Damietta was music to the ears of the local community and officials in the Mediterranean city. The decision, under which the state-owned company Mobco acquired E Agrium's shares in the project, prompted a delegation from the governorate, comprising parliamentarians and businessmen and headed by Governor Mohamed Fathi El-Baradei, to visit Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif last week to thank him for taking on board the fears of the local community about the potential negative impact on the environment of the cancelled project. "The delegation expressed their appreciation for the prime minister's efforts which led to solving the issue in a civilised manner and in a way that was in the best interests of all parties," said Magdi Radi, spokesman for the Ministers' Council, following the meeting between the delegation and Nazif. Nazif praised the "political awareness and civilised way the local community used legal channels to express their opinion about the project", adding that one lesson to be learned from the controversy was the importance of "maximising the role of dialogue between the government and civil society". El-Baradei conceded that the government had faced enormous internal and external pressures during the controversy over the construction of the plant. "The government needed time to conduct negotiations so that it might take the right decision. The issue was very complicated." The battle between the local community and the company, El-Baradei said, "caused development projects in the governorate to be stopped. However they will be resumed after a short time." While El-Baradei argued that the whole issue is now over, trade unions and opposition parties in Damietta remain sceptical. A statement issued last week by the Trade Unions and Political Parties Coordination Committee in Damietta said that, "the Supreme Council of Energy's decision to cancel the E Agrium project and Mobco's acquisition of its shares did not fulfil the demands and ambitions of the people of Damietta". The statement added that "the decision considered the economic side of the project while ignoring the environmental one." Opponents to the project see the council's decision as no more than a slight change of tack. "The site of the Mobco plant is very close to residential areas in Ras Al-Barr and the pollution load will remain high. The environmental effects will be very dangerous," the statement continued. The Popular Committee for the Defence of the Environment, an NGO, said the decision to relocate the project to an adjacent site was "vague". In a statement issued last week the committee warned against attempts to "confuse people by changing the name of E Agrium to Mobco". "Names do not matter," it said. "What should matter are the negative effects on the environment." The committee called for independent experts to be stationed at the environmental observatory which the government intends to build in Damietta Port to measure levels of pollution in the area. The Ministry of Housing, meanwhile, has announced that it will begin to turn the original, 500 feddan site into a tourist area. A sports club, a spa and a nature reserve for migrating birds will be established.
