For the eleventh consecutive year, the "black cloud" that traditionally appears during the months of autumn has returned to envelope the skies over Cairo. Health experts warn that the cloud, which tends to appear when farmers burn rice husks en masse in the Nile Delta, could cause cases of lung cancer. In an effort to curb the phenomenon, the Environment Ministry is continuing to report farmers engaged in the practice--which has been made illegal--to police. “We've provided farmers with 300 compressors for the disposal of rice husks,” said Damietta Environment Department Director Atef al-Menyawi. “We also have recycling facilities available capable of processing some 250,000 tons of rice husks.” Qalyubiya Governor Adly Hussein, for his part, has decreed an LE10,000 fine for any farmer found burning rice husks. The Environment Ministry has also ordered the closure of all coal factories located in and around the capital until the cloud dissipates. The municipal administration for 6 October City, meanwhile, has drawn up committees mandated with inspecting and reporting any factories suspected of polluting the local environment. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
