Egypt, Pakistan eye collaboration on strategic crops, livestock development    Egypt's EDA, MSD discuss localising biopharma production    Egypt's PM orders 60,000 new homes for Alexandria's unsafe buildings    Crystal Martin to build large-scale textile, apparel factory in Egypt    Egypt urges EU support for Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction at Brussels talks    Escalation in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes intensify, ceasefire talks stagnate    Agriculture Minister discusses boosting agricultural cooperation with Romania, Moldova    Pakistan names Qatari royal as brand ambassador after 'Killer Mountain' climb    Health Ministry denies claims of meningitis-related deaths among siblings    Egypt's gold prices grow on July 13th    Sri Lanka's expat remittances up in June '25    Egypt's Health Min. discusses drug localisation with Sandoz    Egypt, Mexico discuss environmental cooperation, combating desertification    Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt's GAH, Spain's Konecta discuss digital health partnership    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Tap water for Egyptians
Published in Bikya Masr on 11 - 06 - 2010

CAIRO: A common question asked by visitors to Cairo is “can I drink the tap water?” Many Cairenes have no problems with drinking the water. The Nile River is Cairo's main source of water and begins in Burundi and Uganda passing through the Sudan, where it joins up with the Blue Nile, whose origins are in Ethiopia before flowing onto Egypt. How pure is the water once it reaches Cairo?
“Of course I drink the tap water at home,” 21-year-old student Esra Mohamed, a resident of Giza said, surprised at the question. Some travel web-sites report Cairo's water is over chlorinated, while others say it has a high concentration of bacteria.
A recent report from 2008 published be the Water and Environmental Journal says the quality of tap water “in Maadi-Cairo satisfied most Egyptian and international water quality standards” over a two year study. It did however note that seasonal variations saw different levels of coliform bacterium due to rising and falling water temperatures. The majority of treated samples tested recorded an acceptable amount of bacterium.
From a conference on Middle Eastern Studies titled “Cairo: A Mega-City and its Water Resources”, before reaching Cairo, mostly untreated domestic, agricultural and industrial wastewater is put into the Nile downstream. Around 35 major factories use the Nile as a dumping ground for industrial waste and drainage water full of fertilizers and pesticides flow into the river from agriculture.
Industrial wastewater accounts for the Nile's main source of water pollution and is driving up the cost of water purification. Independent findings of Greater Cairo's water treatment plants have reported heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and copper were high in water taken from the Nile, however after treatment heavy metal levels were reduced sufficiently to meet World Health Organization's international standards.
An unnamed official that trained in Sostat, Cairo main water treatment plant said when water quality was compared to commercial bottled water found in shops; tap water was of equal quality to most brands. Schweppes and Nestle had the best quality of water, with the lowest amount of bacteria, while brands like AQUA and Hayat use a treatment method known as osmosis, using oxygen to purify water. But oxygen is taken from the atmosphere rather than purified air, and the air from the atmosphere has a high level of nitrogen, which helps bacteria to grow.
While Cairo's tap water is heavily treated the issue is Egypt's wastewater and its treatment, as wastewater is dumped into the Nile. Because of this concerns are growing as to the quality of Cairo's tap water in the future.
Gabal al-Asfar is a wastewater treatment plant in Cairo and has recently received a boost of 53.3 million from the African Development Bank. Wastewater will be chlorinated before being released. The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation's web site concedes reducing effluent will be one of its greatest challenges for the future.
“The water is okay now, but what about the water in the future for my children?” asks Yasmine, a student studying to be a tour guide. With Egypt's population set to rise from the current 82 and a half million to close to 100 million by 2026, waste and pollution is also set to rise, and for the 43 towns on the Nile with populations over 50,000, this will be a problem.
BM


Clic here to read the story from its source.