“I cannot play with them because I can hardly breathe,” said Ahmed Youssef, who suffers from chronic asthma, pointing at other children.
During an interview that did not take more than 15 minutes, Habiba had to take a break three times because of her coughing.
Ahmed and Habiba are not the only ones suffering from asthma. Other residents in Qalyubia's village of Aghour have similar diseases that have been tied to the more than 300 charcoal burners that cover a land once planted with roses. The burners emit toxic gases harmful to humans and the environment.
A child from the village suffering from asthma
Although the government promised to allocate alternative land for the burners, which did not number more than five burners in the 1990s, the farmers kept leasing their land to the coal producers in order to make more money. The farmers, however, end up spending a large part of the sums they earn from selling their land on medical treatment.
Almost 500 acres of fertile land are used for burning wood to produce coal. This emit carbon monoxide, which causes problems in the upper respiratory tract (nose and ears) and the lower respiratory tract (larynx, trachea, bronchus, lungs), as confirmed by Dr. Mahmoud Amr, founder of the National Center for Toxins.
The village's air analysis showed that the rate of pollutants is twice as much as is legally permissible, with 483 mg per cubic meter as opposed to 230 mg per cubic meter.
Mohamed Abdel Hai, a pharmacist, said that atomizers, which should only be found in chest disease departments of hospitals, are now sold in pharmacies in large quantities.
Air pollutants chart
Charcoal burners are found in 18 governorates, of which 20 percent are in in Qalyubia alone, according to official statistics of the Environment Ministry issued in 2012. It is a low cost industry that provides jobs and generates income for farmers.
The space leased for charcoal burning brings LE800 per month to the farmer, as opposed to LE250 if he leases it for agricultural purposes.
Al-Masry Al-Youm interviewed the coal producers as smoke continued to rise from the burners. They admit that they damage the arable land, but contend that they have no other means of income.
Dr. Ibrahim Awad of the nearby Banha Hospital said 70 percent of the patients come from Aghour suffering from respiratory problems.
Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy banned the export of the charcoal produced from those burners, but the producers still export, the work is still going on and new burners are still being installed. As to the decision that was made 14 years ago to remove the unlicensed burners, it has not been carried out yet. Their owners say they would not move unless the government provides alternative places for them.
The situation remains unchanged and Aghour has turned into deadly dust.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
