Egypt, officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country situated in the northeast corner of Africa and the southwest corner of Asia, connected by the Sinai Peninsula. Air pollution is one of the biggest challenges facing mankind at present, especially in urban areas, due to its serious effects on public health.
Air Quality Index in Egypt
In 2019, Egypt experienced “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 63, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). For the months of May and June, Cairo attained the WHO target figure of less than 10 µg/m³. In September and November, the quality fell to 36.9 and 46.4 µg/m³, respectively. For the remaining months, the air quality was “moderate”.
However, in August 2020, air pollution had returned to record high levels among residents of Greater Cairo, after dropping significantly over the past months, as a result of closures and curfews due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country since mid-March.
An official source revealed that the percentage of air pollution in Cairo, in particular, began to appear during July, after life began to return to normal. Consequently, congestion has returned to the street, and solid and harmful waste is disposed of in an unsafe manner by burning it in the streets, which led to the rise in the percentage of pollutants to dangerous levels.
The source accuses the Ministry of not being well prepared to face the pollution crisis, knowing that the matter was expected after the return of life to normal, without any concern for the health and economic impact, stressing that the Egyptians are suffocating and are breathing large amounts of carbon dioxide, iron and lead.
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The official, who preferred not to be named, added that the COVID-19 crisis led to a decrease in the percentage of pollutants from carbon and sulphur gases, due to the reduction of emissions from vehicles and factories emissions from April to June, calling for the formation of a fact-finding committee on the catastrophic situation.
He clarified that the Ministry of Environment has not played the role assigned to it to develop a strategy for managing solid waste and making use of it, in order to preserve the environment and the health of citizens. He explains that the waste collection during the Eid at the level of Greater Cairo governorates (Cairo, Giza, Qalyubia) reached more than 120 tons, and Cairo ranked first.
Sources of Air Pollution
The main source of air pollution in Egypt comes from the particulate matter of both PM2.5 and PM10 varieties. They mainly come from transportation, industry and the open burning of solid organic waste material. Given its close proximity to the desert regions surrounding the country, a large portion of dust is blown in from the surrounding lands.
The air quality in Cairo varies between 10 and 100 times more polluted than the worldwide acceptable standards. The lack of rain compounds to the situation because of the cleaneing effect falling rain has. The air over Cairo is very often thick and grey in colour and appears as a haze.
The main source of household air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels, wood, and other biomass-based fuels for cooking, heating and home lighting. There are around 3.8 million premature deaths due to indoor air pollution each year, the vast majority of these deaths occurring in the developing world. Of the 193 countries, 97 countries have increased the percentage of households with access to clean-burning fuels to more than 85 per cent.
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And yet, 3 billion people still use solid fuels and open fires for cooking, heating and lighting. Adopting cleaner, more modern stoves and fuels can reduce disease risks and save lives. Dried animal dung is mixed with twigs and leaves and formed into cakes.
In many countries, energy production is a major source of air pollution. Coal-fired power stations are a major contributor to emissions, while diesel generators are a growing concern in off-grid areas. Industrial processes and the use of solvents, in the chemical and mining industries, also pollute the air. Policies and programs to increase energy efficiency and production from renewable sources have a direct impact on a country's air quality.
The global transport sector accounts for about a quarter of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, and this proportion is rising. These transportation emissions have been linked to nearly 400,000 premature deaths. Almost half of all deaths from air pollution caused by transportation are due to diesel emissions, with those who live near major traffic roads are 12 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia. Reducing vehicle emissions is an important intervention to improve air quality, especially in urban areas.
The open burning of waste and organic waste in landfills releases harmful dioxins, furans, methane and black carbon into the atmosphere. On a global scale, approximately 40 per cent of waste is burned in open areas. The problem is greater in urban areas and developing countries. Open burning of agricultural and municipal waste is practised in 166 out of 193 countries.
Improving solid waste collection, separation and disposal reduces the amount of waste that is burned or buried. Separating organic waste and converting it into compost or bioenergy improves soil fertility and provides an alternative source of energy.
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Health Impacts of Air Pollution
Air pollution is a very important risk factor for non-communicable diseases, causing more than a quarter of all deaths in adults: 45 per cent from COPD, 30 per cent from lung cancer, 28 per cent from heart disease, and 25 per cent from a stroke. Air pollution also accounts for 52 per cent of deaths from communicable diseases such as acute lower respiratory infections.
The people of low and middle-income countries are considered to be the most affected by air pollution. Where the World Health Organisation estimates that more than 90 per cent of deaths out of 7 million annual cases occur in these countries, due to exposure to fine particles such as PM2.5 and PM10 in polluted air.
Projects and Initiatives for Improvement
Towards the end of 2020, The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved a $200 million loan to support Egypt’s efforts to reduce air pollution in Cairo. The project will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, improving solid waste management, and strengthening the decision-making system for air quality and climate. The new air pollution and climate change management project aims to modernise the Egyptian system for monitoring air quality and strengthen the ability of the population in Cairo to cope with high pollution situations, including accidents that arise or are exacerbated by emissions, and severe weather phenomena.
Contributions to the reduction of vehicle emissions by supporting the use of the electric bus system in the public sector and related infrastructure, including charging stations for electric vehicles, and assessing the technical and financial feasibility for expanding the application of this system and support activities aimed at changing societal and service providers' behaviours and ensure citizen participation in project design and implementation.
According to 2018 statistics, the level of air pollution in Cairo exceeded 11 times the limit adopted by the World Health Organisation. In order to protect the atmosphere, it is necessary to carry out effective and accurate monitoring of the state of the atmosphere within the framework of real-time monitoring. To achieve this goal, we need tools to assess air quality and to identify sources of pollution and the degree of risk emanating from this pollution.
Scientists at the State Research University in Samara, in Russia, are also evaluating the air condition through a mobile air device, which weighs just over a kilogram and is considered an alternative to the huge, expensive laboratory equipment. It is noteworthy that this device was designed for use with drones, allowing it to fly independently according to the planned path and transmit data about the air condition to the control centre.
The Green Belt project aims to introduce green spaces around the Ring Road of Greater Cairo and contribute to protecting the environment from pollution by intensifying the spread of greenery to mitigate the effects of vital variables harmful to the health of the population and investing the spaces around Greater Cairo in planting trees to achieve a strong economic return from trees that can be planted.
The area to be planted and cultivated is 100 km long and 25 meters wide, and this is done in four phases, the first includes 50 km in Cairo Governorate, 28 km in Giza Governorate, 22 km in Qalyubia Governorate, and the second phase, and includes crossroads intersecting with the Ring Road 25 metres in depth on both sides of the road.
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Cairo: A City Grappling with Pollution
Cairo is the capital of Egypt and the city-state of Cairo Governorate, and is the country's largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metropolitan area, with a population of 21.9 million, is the 12th-largest in the world by population.
Air pollution has been a problem for Egyptians for decades, especially in major cities like Cairo. In Greater Cairo, levels of fine particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5, which pose the greatest risk to human health, are several times higher than levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Climate change is also a problem for Egypt. The Greater Cairo Air Pollution and Climate Change Management Project involves the cross-sectoral involvement of government departments responsible for solid waste, public transport and health.
The Ministry of Environment, funded by the World Bank, envisages the purchase of about 100 battery-powered electric buses (e-buses), which will work with, among others, its Cairo Governorate Environment Agency and the Cairo Transport Authority.
Key Milestones and Statements
- March 25, 2022: "In Cairo, the concentration of PM2.5 - those tiny particles in the air that can penetrate deep into your lungs - is about 12 times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization," said Martin Wolff, principal investigator of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI).
- According to the country's environment ministry, Egypt accounts for only 0.6 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. As part of its commitment to the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, Egypt has formulated an action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set a target to reduce the concentration of PM10, slightly larger particles in the air, by 50 percent by 2030.
- September 30, 2020: The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a $200 million project to support Egypt's initiatives to reduce air and climate pollution from critical sectors and increase air pollution resilience in Greater Cairo.
- Air quality in Greater Cairo has recently improved; however, ambient air pollution remains the most important problem for the city's environmental health, which greatly affects the quality of life of residents and the economy.
- The six-year Greater Cairo Air Pollution and Climate Change Project aims to support Egypt's efforts to reduce both air pollution and climate pollutant emissions in line with the country's Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030. The ministry is also now using satellites to identify where farmers are burning straw. The WHO described that residents of Cairo breathe air that is 20 times more polluted than the acceptable daily level.
- March 21, 2013: According to the World Health Organization, the average resident of Cairo breathes in more than 20 times the permissible level of air pollution every day. The growing number of cars, factories and power plants, as well as the use of old heating methods, such as burning coal and wood, are considered the main man-made sources of air pollution.
- Although the use of environmentally friendly processes in factories is expensive, it remains a much cheaper option than getting rid of the pollution emitted by dirty factories.
- 2007: The World Bank has named Cairo's air as the worst in the world for particulate pollution, the tiny fragments of soot or dust that are most damaging to human lungs. High emissions contribute to the problem, but Cairo's topography and climate make pollution even worse.
| Year | Month | Air Quality | US AQI Reading | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | May - June | Target Achieved | N/A | Less than 10 µg/m³ (WHO target) |
| 2019 | September | Moderate | N/A | 36.9 µg/m³ |
| 2019 | November | Moderate | N/A | 46.4 µg/m³ |
| 2019 | Annual | Moderate | 63 | Overall moderate air quality |
| 2020 | August | High | N/A | Returned to record high levels |
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