Cairo air pollution has reportedly reached dangerous levels. Due to increased production of cement and petroleum industries, air pollution levels in downtown Cairo are reportedly 10 to 100 times higher than those deemed safe by the World Health Organization. The US Energy Information Administration reported the Egyptian capital is perhaps the most polluted urban center in the world.
The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) recently stated that the situation will most likely only worsen in the future, resulting in an ever-growing number of Egyptians suffering from respiratory problems, reported Xinhua News.
Nearly eight million residents of Cairo, Giza, and Qaliubia suffer from asthma; some 15,000 from bronchitis; and 329,000 cases of respiratory problems are reported yearly. Each year some 3,400 people die from related complications. Other pollution side effects are rising temperatures and subsequently higher sea levels.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has recently financed a $79,000 international study, which will focus on air pollution in the Egyptian capital, which they hypothesize results from Nile Delta farmers burning rice straw in the fields north of the city. Others believe that the pottery and metal burning factories are the main cause of the severe problem, as well as fumes from the 1.2 million Cairo automobiles. — (MENA Report)
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