Author: Al-Masry Al-Youm
The piles of dead fish that have rattled residents of cities overlooking the Nile River distributary of Rosetta were killed by pollution caused by sewage, said the Health Ministry, practically backtracking on the government’s earlier denial and blame on fishermen.

Ammonia and unprocessed sewage discharge from a drainage station in Giza caused the fish to suffocate under chemical and biological pollutants, ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed said Thursday, announcing the results of its technical report.

The ministry recommended not dispensing of sewage leftovers in fresh water except in line with the legally-approved amounts.

Civilians in cities overlooking the Nile Delta stream had blamed sewage discharges for the death of the fish, which caused the government to blame fishermen for installing fish culture cages in the stream.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Publishing Date:
Thu, 21/01/2016 – 16:30
Source URL (retrieved on 22/01/2016 – 16:32): http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/2465421
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Nile Delta distributary littered with dead fish
Author: Al-Masry Al-Youm
Citizens in the Nile Delta region are anxious about the large numbers of dead fish that have been found at the Nile River distributary of Rosetta, close to the cities of Motoubas, Fawa and Desouk in Kafr al-Sheikh Province.

The scene and the resulting smell has spread concern among residents as water stations in the three cities are supplied by the polluted distributary.

Hesham Deraz, who leads an association of fishermen in Desouk, said dead fish began floating on the Rosetta distributary near the three cities as a result of sewage discharged from Giza, revealing that the event recurs every year and warning of a “serious environmental catastrophe”.

Deraz said that Kafr al-Sheikh’s governor had recently told the media that the pollution was a result of farmers’ cage cultures. “He disregarded the main source of the pollution…the Giza drainage facility which is known to all state officials,” Deraz said. “ When is this crisis going to end? It is threatening the living of thousands of fishermen and threatens millions of Egyptians with hepatitis.”

Sabri Etman, a secretary from the Arab Nasserist Party in Kafr al-Sheikh, said the crisis forced some well-off citizens to resort to using bottled water, though poorer inhabitants have no option but to cope with the polluted resources.

Shawqi Karim, head of the Irrigation Ministry in Kafr al-Sheikh, said “intensified efforts” were underway to clean the waterway and remove the dead fish.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

Publishing Date:
Sun, 17/01/2016 – 16:38
Source URL (retrieved on 22/01/2016 – 16:32): http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/2465231