CAIRO: Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) decided to suspend any further construction of factories and plants in the Damietta governorate in response to the violence that had erupted between protesters and military forces at the local Damietta fertilizer plant. “The Cabinet has suspended all construction works in plants, which are being built in Damietta governorate until making sure that they conform with environmental standards,” stated the Egyptian State Information Service website. The suspension came after the interim Egyptian government ordered the closure of the Damietta fertilizer plant. Residents of the Nile Delta town rejoiced at the SCAF's acquiescence to protesters' demands to shutdown the factory. Clashes on Sunday left one dead and five others injured as military forces used live ammunition in an effort to disperse protesters at a factory sit-in. Demonstrators have been protesting the planned expansion of the chemical plant; a factory which local residents believe is polluting the environment and destroying the local fishing industry. In 2008, the Egyptian government promised the residents of Damietta that the chemical plant would be relocated outside of the town but this had not come into fruition until Sunday's decision to close the factory. The now closed fertilizer plant is a holding of Misr Fertilizer Production Company (MOPCO). The plant produced ammonia, granular urea, and nitrogen. BM
