Farmers from the Nile Delta village of Moftah protested Wednesday against the recent confiscation of their cattle and personal belongings by the irrigation ministry. The confiscations came after some farmers failed to pay fines issued for using more than their allotted shares of water to irrigate rice fields. According to farmers, former irrigation minister Mahmoud Abu Zeid had annulled the fines, yet ministry officials continue to insist on collecting them--or on bringing the farmers to trial. "They took my buffalo and my sofa--the only two possessions I have," said farmer Salem Ali, a father of four. "I had to pay LE250 or they were going to send me to jail," said Ahmed el-Zabalawy, another farmer. Meanwhile, farmers from the Nile Delta village of Manisterly also staged protests for the same reason. "These fines range from LE360 to LE9000," said village resident Mohamed Shehata. "How can we afford to pay these amounts?" According to farmer Ibrahim Mohamed, the irrigation quota system has not been in effect since 1995. Nevertheless, Ahmed Ibrahim, the provincial official responsible for irrigation, insisted that farmers were using more water than their allotted shares under prevailing irrigation quotas. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
