Environment features
The black cloud hits again, and rice husk is to blame
01 Nov 2012
Taking a breath of fresh air is often is quite difficult in the bustling Cairene metropolis, specifically in fall when the seasonal black cloud caused by the burning of rice straw starts hovering over the city.
It is so thick that it...
Yes
Sinai sea turtle mass deaths shrouded in mystery
31 Oct 2012
Scientists are still unable to identify with certainty the cause of the mass death of dozens of marine turtles last week in Lake Bardawil, an area on the Mediterranean coast in North Sinai Governorate.
The incident triggered...
Yes
As garbage piles up in canals, residents take matters into their own hands
29 Oct 2012
Although the Nile is generally praised as the country’s lifeblood, many people actually rely on its irrigation canals. But when the water started to dry up over the summer, they became a toxic mess, threatening the livelihoods of...
Yes
Dropping seed bombs
26 Oct 2012
Environmentalists, activists and bystanders gathered Saturday at various locations around Cairo and Alexandria to join a seed bombing campaign known as “Bozoor Baladi” (Seeds of My Country).
Seed bombing is considered a...
Yes
Supporting Egypt’s wetlands and waterbirds through regional cooperation
23 Oct 2012
North African wetlands constitute important stopover sites and wintering grounds for water birds breeding in Eurasia, including many globally threatened species.
In order to develop a regional program to support mid-winter surveys in...
Yes
Murky waters: Bad practices in fish farms cause major health concerns
22 Oct 2012
Although experts often advise that people eat fish three times a week, in Egypt, you might think twice before taking such a risk. Many local fish farms have been found to use sewage water that causes serious diseases.
Sherif Sadek, founder...
Yes
Are oil and gas companies fracking up Egypt’s environment?
21 Oct 2012
It might sound like a swear word, but “fracking” isn’t causing a stir because of its sound. It’s a drilling method that has caused worry among some local environmentalists, who warn it could contaminate the...
Yes
Activists oppose monastery wall in Wadi el-Rayan protectorate
18 Oct 2012
Environmental activists are organizing a peaceful demonstration on 2 November to halt construction of a 7km-long monastery wall that threatens a protected area.
Wadi el-Rayan — a valley and natural reserve since 1989 — has been...
Yes
Life's a playground: Program hopes to build environmental awareness through play
17 Oct 2012
In an initiative that was one of the first of its kind in the country, a German-funded summer school program helped improve the playgrounds at two public primary schools — one in Ard al-Lewa and the other in Shubra — to help...
Yes
Lack of services and sanitation a toxic mix on Gezirat al-Warraq
15 Oct 2012
Standing on the peak of one of Gezirat al-Warraq’s trash mountains, one can see beautiful Nile vignettes, the shores of Imbaba and Shubra, and small uninhabited islands that pop in and out of existence with the changing currents.
But...
Yes
