Egypt refutes Forbes study naming Cairo most polluted city

CAIRO - 2 September 2018: A Forbes study naming Cairo "the most polluted city on Earth" fails to provide clear proof that it is right, the Egyptian Environment Ministry said Sunday.

According to the study, the Egyptian capital scored the highest in total of 48 cities in terms of air, noise and light pollution; something the Ministry refuted in a statement.

It raised question marks about the source of information on which Forbes based its study.

Outdoor air quality should be tested throughout the year and this is only conducted by the National Network for Monitoring Ambient Air Pollutants, an affiliate to the Environment Ministry, the statement said.

It made it clear that the information provided by the study had not been obtained from the Ministry, which is the only go-to authority that is legally tasked with the job.

The Environment Ministry posts an annual report on its website that has all the correct information, the statement stressed.

The government has outlined goals to improve outdoor air quality as part of a national strategy to achieve sustainable development, it noted.

This should be done through reducing to half PM10 levels by 2030, it said. Short for Particulate Matter, PM10 levels were reduced by 19 percent in the end of 2017, the statement made it clear.

It also pointed to a future plan by the Egyptian government to increase waste recycling levels and achieve a horizontal population growth.