Surprising reason behind decline in rice straw burning

CAIRO – 24 October 2017: The Minister of Environment Khaled Fahmy said on Monday that the rise in animal feed prices resulted in the reduction of burning rice straw, which has been collected and turned into animal feed.

Fahmy denied allegations that the reduction comes as a result of a reduction of rice grown in Egypt from two million feddans (two billion acres) to 1.6 million feddans. He added that a factory to manufacture paper from rice straw is under construction in Beheira governorate.

The minister highlighted that one of the main issues the ministry is working on is the elimination of the flow of wastewater to the Nile River. He announced the closure of seven factories and efficient solutions have been provided to sugar factories to limit industrial pollution.

Fahmy said that 50 percent of industrial drainage from the Hawamdeya Sugar factory has reduced persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Nile River by 175 tons. He added that the environmental status of the Edfu-Egypt paper factory has been modified, and the same is being applied to Kous paper factory.

The ministry was granted soft loans to execute new environmental projects within the Industrial Pollution Control Program. The minister announced that seven stations for instant detection of industrial drainage have been established and 14 others would be installed by the end of this year.

Similarly, 10 wastewater treatment stations were introduced this year into poor villages in Giza, Sharkeya, Assiut, Beni Suef, Minya, Sohag and Aswan.

Fahmy stated that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing, the industrial drainage of different establishments has been directed to central stations for industrial drainage treatment built in the industrial zones of Quesna, Abou Rawash, Kima 1, and Kima 2. Another project was executed at the cost of LE 40 million ($2.27 million) to decrease POPs in Lake Mariout.

Fahmy said that the ministry safely disposed of 220 tons of expired Lindane pesticide which was stored at Adabiya port in Hurghada, in addition to eight tons of solid organic waste stored at the warehouses of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Fahmy presented to the Parliament’s Energy and Environment Committee a plan to recycle solid waste which would be the responsibility of a holding company currently being established.