Greater Cairo

BOX 3.14

Reducing the “Black Cloud” Phenomenon in Greater Cairo

In Egypt, rice is one of the most cultivated crops, mainly cultivated in the northeastern part of the country, primarily in the governorates of Dakahlyia, Kafr El-Sheick, and Shakyia (El-Dewany, Awad, and Zaghloul 2018). Since only around 20 percent of the crop residues resulting from these cultivation efforts have been used for further processing, the remainder was often left on the fields and later burned, contributing heavily to air pollution. This seasonal phenomenon of increased emissions after the harvesting season (typically in October and November) is called the “black cloud” and has been of great concern to policy makers in Egypt and specifically in Cairo (El-Dewany, Awad, and Zaghloul 2018; Hanafi et al. 2012). To give a sense of the magnitude of residue burning, according to observations by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), at least 946 fires to burn leftover straw were recorded in Egypt’s river Delta in 2014 (NASA 2014).

The impact of this practice on seasonal air quality in Greater Cairo was mentioned earlier and illustrated in figure 3.15, which shows the sources of PM2.5 (PM2.5 = particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less in diameter) in the Greater Cairo region for summer and fall 2010. The contribution of particulate matter (PM) from open burning of waste in autumn is considerably higher than in summer. This results mostly from the burning of agricultural waste, which typically takes place in October and November of each year. Hence, agricultural burning can lead to severe, seasonal burdens on air quality.

In an initial attempt to combat the uncontrolled burning of rice straw and other crop residues, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency imposed a fine on waste burning ranging from LE 5,000 to LE 100,000 in 2015. Accompanying these measures, however, authorities also incentivized traders to buy the straw from farmers, paying them LE 50 (around US$3) per ton (Egypt Today 2019). Private companies then dry and bale the rice straw, subsequently to be used for purposes such as animal fodder, organic fertilizers, and also more unusual purposes such as in the furniture, cement, or brick industries. These companies receive a subsidy of LE 90 for each ton of rice straw that they process (El Dahan 2011). As of November 2020, the ministry had established 731 centers for collecting rice straw in six governorates, and more than 2 million tons of rice straw had been collected.

Furthermore, the ministry reported that 1,827 seminars have been held to raise farmers’ awareness about the dangers of burning crop residues as well as to promote ideas about turning the residues into incomegenerating products (Egypt Today 2020). In addition, new projects have been planned to use the rice straw for the production of medium-density fiberboard. The projects are financed by Egyptian capital from the oil sector and are seen as effective solutions to support the efforts made to transform rice straw from an environmental challenge into an economic opportunity.

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