The establishment of an electric power station in el-Qata village in Imbaba could have grave environmental and health implications, a new report has revealed. The report warns that the power station can pose health threats for surrounding populations and may damage 70 feddans of highly fertile land. Mawaheb Abul Azm, head of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, has submitted the report to the minister of environmental affairs. The ministries of environment, agriculture and electricity disagreed over the establishment of the power station, after the minister of agriculture approved the project despite a law that bans building on agricultural land. The report, which was obtained by Al-Masry Al-Youm, said the ministry of electricity's study of the potential power station is of poor scientific and technical quality and remains unsatisfactory for a project that will be built in the center of a populous city like Cairo. The report added that the study fails to consider the impact of the station on nearby populations, the possibility of fires, and wind directions. Furthermore, the project is not described in adequate detail, its geometrical illustrations are of poor quality and the reliability of the information in the study is questionable. The report also concluded that the area earmarked for the project is unreasonably large and that local farmers have strongly objected to the project, fearing it may damage neighboring lands. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
