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Egypt Independent
“A study of the cost of environmental impacts prepared in cooperation with the World Bank has revealed that air pollution in Greater Cairo costs the country £E47 Billion annually”, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said on Saturday.
“This has necessitated further work to reduce pollution, which includes efforts to preserve natural resources, face global environmental change challenges and maintain biodiversity”, Fouad added.
Integrating the environment into development sectors was the most important step taken by the government; in order to make preservation of natural resources a goal for all sectors of the country.
The World Bank’s Executive Board approved, last September, a US$200 Million project in support of Egypt’s initiatives to reduce air and climate pollution from critical sectors and improve the quality of air in Greater Cairo.
The project focuses on reducing vehicle emission, improving solid waste management, and enhancing the air and climate decision-making system.
Greater Cairo’s air quality has recently seen an improvement; however, air pollution remains the city’s most significant environmental health issue. It weighs heavily on residents’ quality of life and on the economy.
Recent studies have estimated the annual economic cost of air pollution on health in the Greater Cairo area alone at about 1.4% of Egypt’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm.
