Yasmine Fouad: Environmental efforts have so far resulted in avoiding 16,000 tons of carbon emissions
Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, Ministerial Coordinator, and COP27 Climate Conference Envoy, followed up on the latest developments in the ministry’s efforts, since the start of the season of acute air pollution episodes known in the media as the “black cloud”, which resulted in avoiding more than 16,000 tons of emissions, through a set of measures to tighten air pollution control. All sources of pollution to reduce acute episodes of air pollution, in coordination with the Ministries of Agriculture and Local Development and in cooperation with a number of ministries and concerned authorities.
Dr.. Yasmine Fouad: Efforts have so far resulted in avoiding 16,000 tons of emissions
The minister explained that the inspection teams affiliated with the Ministry of Environment, which are deployed throughout the governorates of the system (Eastern, Western, Kafr El-Sheikh, Buhaira, Dakahlia, and Qalyubia), have been able to inspect 2102 industrial establishments so far, which varied between large, medium and small establishments, and 335 establishments were monitored. Violating and taking the necessary measures towards it, in cooperation with the Industrial Development Authority, and in accordance with the environmental requirements and the decisions of the governors to close during the fall period some establishments polluting the environment and take legal measures against violators, and 53 cases of exceeding the maximum limits for emissions of industrial establishments linked to the national monitoring network were monitored Industrial emissions, measured in real time.
Follow-up to monitor waste burning points and monitor emissions of expected pollution sources to maintain air quality
The Minister of the Environment indicated the increasing demand of the people to open rice straw collection sites, as nearly one million and 377 thousand tons of rice straw were collected, at a rate of 86.4% of the amount of rice straw resulting from the cultivated area, most of which came through the people, in the number of 46 A site for collecting and pressing rice straw, supported by equipment provided by the Ministry of Environment, and opening 165 sites through the residents, and within the framework of limiting the open burning of agricultural and municipal waste, 2143 burning points were monitored through satellites in the regions of Greater Cairo, the Delta and central Upper Egypt, and immediate guidance was given For the 20 inspection axes for those sites and the notification of the Civil Protection Department to deal immediately with fires and take the necessary measures, in cooperation between the axes of the regional branches of the Ministry of Environment in those regions and the axes of the localities, which operate around the clock.
In the field of vehicle exhaust examination, the Ministry of Environment carried out 99 traffic campaigns to examine vehicle exhaust in cooperation with the General Traffic Department and the Environment and Surface Police. 809 public transport buses, as part of the implementation of the periodic program to inspect the fleet of buses of the Public Transport Authority “at night”.
In order to raise environmental awareness and create channels of communication with the citizen, Dr. Yasmine Fouad explained that the ministry has implemented 821 seminars and environmental awareness campaigns for citizens to define the damages resulting from burning agricultural waste and how to benefit from rice straw and the efforts of the Ministry of Environment and the relevant ministries in dealing with agricultural waste, while 141 complaints from citizens about the burning of agricultural and municipal waste were dealt with, their causes removed, and records issued for violators.
The minister pointed out the reliance on the early warning system in the ministry to predict air quality through conducting a statistical analysis of the data and implementing the model of atmospheric simulation and dispersion in the governorates of the system and directing inspection teams and axes to the areas most affected by weather factors and warning citizens in the event of an expected increase in the concentration of pollutants in the air as a result of these factors. weather.
