For more than three months the residents of Rashid had been suffering from problems with the city's sanitary drainage system. But it was only after their third call for help that Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development Ahmed el-Maghrabi met with the the governor of Beheira, Major General Mohamed Sharawi, to examine the problem. The minister has now decided to provide the financial resources needed to solve the problems with the sewage system. Rashid residents said that projects underway to turn the city an "open air museum" are only intended to satisfy President Mubarak and other officials who visit the city. Residents also said that the local council hadn't drained the sewage from the streets of Rashid for several weeks and only decided to take action after the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater sent 18 vehicles to drain the water. The sanitary drainage plant in Rashid, which was inaugurated by President Mubarak around seven months ago, treats just 8000 square meters of water per day, although it has the capacity to treat 20,000 square meters of water, said an informed source. Youssri el-Abssi, an engineer, said that only 50 percent of the household hookups required had been finished and that work to finish the sanitary drainage project was ongoing. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
