Hamed Shawki, a resident of El-Hawees, a village on the outskirts of Al-Ameriya neighborhood in Alexandria, 200 kilometers north of Cairo, says that his daughter, Nissreen, contracted a respiratory disease, which caused chronic weakness and fatigue. Her condition then developed into nerve atrophy, which caused her to lose control of her limbs.

The same happened to Shawki’s six year-old daughter, Menna, a few months after she was born; so he bought another wheelchair for her.

Hamed Shawki, a resident of El-Hawees, a village on the outskirts of Al-Ameriya neighborhood in Alexandria, 200 kilometers north of Cairo, says that his daughter, Nissreen, contracted a respiratory disease, which caused chronic weakness and fatigue. Her condition then developed into nerve atrophy, which caused her to lose control of her limbs.

The same happened to Shawki’s six year-old daughter, Menna, a few months after she was born; so he bought another wheelchair for her.

“I stopped buying medicines for my two daughters since they cost me $49 every month while my salary is hardly enough to provide for my eight-member family. Their conditions have worsened and they now have to be treated abroad.”

Shawki blames the nearby chemical factories, which emit gases and dispose of their wastes in Noubariya channel or “the lock,” as it is called by villagers.

Poisonous gases

El-Hawees village, with a population of 5000, was founded 60 years ago. The establishment of eight factories only a few steps away from people’s homes turned residents’ lives into a nightmare: Alexandria Black Carbon Company, Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals Company (SIDPEC), the Egyptian Petrochemicals Company, Alexandria Fiber Company, the Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO), Alexandria Tires Company, and the Salt and Soda Company. These factories emit poisonous gases, including carbon monoxide and dioxide, nitrogen, carbon, chlorine, vinyl chloride monomer, etc.

Sabri Bahi, a supervisor in the Ministry of Irrigation and one of the village residents says that his brother, Ayman, had angina pectoris two years ago due to emissions and polluted air, which affected his heart so he underwent surgery to replace his heart valve. The operation succeeded but he ultimately died because his heart was too weak to handle more polluted air.  

Mastoura Hameeda Hamed, 45 years old, is another example of the villagers’ suffering. She had a heart attack after a long fight against chest diseases that she is still being treated from. Mrs. Hamed says that the nearby factories are to blame because all villagers have contracted respiratory diseases and many of them have died of lung cancer.

Failure to install filters

According to Atiya Abdulrazzak, the village mayor, one solution suggested by villagers was to install filters to clean the emissions but the companies didn’t cooperate. “We failed to reach an agreement to install filters despite our countless appeals and complaints and now the village situation is going from bad to worse,” he said.

He added that he had the medical files of the villagers who demanded help to get the needed treatment; however, he couldn’t get compensation from the companies and their officials’ response was allegedly, “It is none of our business.” He explained that the majority of villagers had respiratory diseases that affected, in many cases, their hearts. Therefore, the open heart surgery became common in the village. The emissions also affected children’s immune system.

“No one company can take the blame for the others’ emissions”

The responsibility of these factories for polluting the environment is proven by a report issued by the Environment Department in West Delta Region. The report suggests that SIDPEC breached the Environment Law No. 9 of 2009 since it disposes of solid wastes in places other than specified ones.  

All the companies’ officials have dismissed these accusations stressing their compliance with the environment conditions and the occupational safety and health. “The company”, says an SIDPEC employee who prefers anonymity, “complies with all the environment requirements and our emissions are lower than the allowed limit but the decision to turn the area into an industrial zone and the many factories have made the overall emissions exceed the allowed limit so the company alone is not to be blamed.”

According to that employee, the emissions have affected even the factory’ workers and the surrounding lands. The companies try their best to comply with the set environment conditions. A number of villagers try to blackmail the companies to get money under the pretext that they have diseases because of them, a thing the companies deny.    

From an agricultural to industrial zone

According to Haitham Abu Khalil, director of Dahayaa Center for Human Rights, the Prime Minister’s decision in 2000 turned the nearby Al-Ameriya from an agricultural into an industrial zone. The decision didn’t take the area’s people into account, which has caused heath problems due to obstinate companies and their refusal to give compensation or help.

Abu Khalil demands that villagers are evacuated to safer places, compensated by the companies and treated by the government because the majority of them have low incomes, warning of the poisonous gases emitted by these factories, especially the petrochemical ones.

He suggests that petrochemical factories all over the world are built in remote areas where houses are not allowed. “The villagers’ problem is that no one demands their rights in light of the government and companies’ injustice” he adds.