CAIRO, August13, 2018 (MENA) - Environment Minister Yassmin Fouad announced on Monday the start of measures to contain air pollution caused by "black cloud," a thick layer of smog from burning rice straw that spreads across Cairo and the Nile valley for several weeks after the rice harvest each autumn. At a press conference, Fouad said challenges are not easy though the quantities of rice cultivated this year are less than previous years but there are other factors causing air pollution, citing spontaneous combustion of landfills and emissions stemming from industrial facilities and vehicle exhaust. This time the ministry will try to put in place new measures all through the year and not just in autumn to contain the black cloud, she added. Among these measures is keeping a close eye, in coordination with different governorates, on random rubbish dumps for rapid intervention in case of any fire and finding innovative solutions, with youths' involvement, to get rid of agricultural waste, the minister said.
