Front Page
Politics
Economy
International
Sports
Society
Culture
Videos
Newspapers
Ahram Online
Al-Ahram Weekly
Albawaba
Almasry Alyoum
Amwal Al Ghad
Arab News Agency
Bikya Masr
Daily News Egypt
FilGoal
The Egyptian Gazette
Youm7
Subject
Author
Region
f
t
مصرس
US economy slows to 1.6% in Q1 of '24 – BEA
EMX appoints Al-Jarawi as deputy chairman
Mexico's inflation exceeds expectations in 1st half of April
GAFI empowers entrepreneurs, startups in collaboration with African Development Bank
Egyptian exporters advocate for two-year tax exemption
Egyptian Prime Minister follows up on efforts to increase strategic reserves of essential commodities
Italy hits Amazon with a €10m fine over anti-competitive practices
Environment Ministry, Haretna Foundation sign protocol for sustainable development
After 200 days of war, our resolve stands unyielding, akin to might of mountains: Abu Ubaida
World Bank pauses $150m funding for Tanzanian tourism project
China's '40 coal cutback falls short, threatens climate
Swiss freeze on Russian assets dwindles to $6.36b in '23
Amir Karara reflects on 'Beit Al-Rifai' success, aspires for future collaborations
Ministers of Health, Education launch 'Partnership for Healthy Cities' initiative in schools
Egyptian President and Spanish PM discuss Middle East tensions, bilateral relations in phone call
Amstone Egypt unveils groundbreaking "Hydra B5" Patrol Boat, bolstering domestic defence production
Climate change risks 70% of global workforce – ILO
Health Ministry, EADP establish cooperation protocol for African initiatives
Prime Minister Madbouly reviews cooperation with South Sudan
Ramses II statue head returns to Egypt after repatriation from Switzerland
Egypt retains top spot in CFA's MENA Research Challenge
Egyptian public, private sectors off on Apr 25 marking Sinai Liberation
EU pledges €3.5b for oceans, environment
Egypt forms supreme committee to revive historic Ahl Al-Bayt Trail
Debt swaps could unlock $100b for climate action
Acts of goodness: Transforming companies, people, communities
President Al-Sisi embarks on new term with pledge for prosperity, democratic evolution
Amal Al Ghad Magazine congratulates President Sisi on new office term
Egypt starts construction of groundwater drinking water stations in South Sudan
Egyptian, Japanese Judo communities celebrate new coach at Tokyo's Embassy in Cairo
Uppingham Cairo and Rafa Nadal Academy Unite to Elevate Sports Education in Egypt with the Introduction of the "Rafa Nadal Tennis Program"
Financial literacy becomes extremely important – EGX official
Euro area annual inflation up to 2.9% – Eurostat
BYD، Brazil's Sigma Lithium JV likely
UNESCO celebrates World Arabic Language Day
Motaz Azaiza mural in Manchester tribute to Palestinian journalists
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.
OK
Egypt: Tap water for all?
Josh Stump
Published in
Bikya Masr
on 15 - 11 - 2009
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 homeâ€, 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 Nestlé 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 ok 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.
Related stories
Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink
Nile water makes waves among basin countries
Cold water wars
Quench the thirst
Report inappropriate advertisement