Al-Attaba near central Cairo. The Egyptian capital is regularly ranked among the world's most polluted cities. Updated 07 September Environment ministry issued a statement after research placed Cairo as the world's most polluted city Cities were ranked on air, noise, and light pollution. September 06, Follow arabnews. Cairo looks to curb street sheep slaughter for Eid holiday.
I don't think I understood what it was like to live in a truly polluted city until I went to one. As an American, I'd never really experienced a place choked with smog.
New York, my home, is the 21st most polluted city, according to a recent study by Eco Experts , which combines data on air quality, noise pollution, and light pollution. Los Angeles, which I've been to a few times, comes in 10th. That's a far cry from the cities that top the list, where checking particulate matter levels, or PM, is as routine as checking the weather.
I got my first taste of the smog life in April, when I visited Shanghai and Beijing 7th and 3rd on the Eco Experts' list. While the pollution was noticeable — I saw a blue sky only a few times on that entire trip — I was in town during what was comparatively the best time of the year, pollution-wise. The winter in Beijing, when millions are burning coal for heat, is when the real pollution rolls in.
I rode in a taxi from the Cairo airport this past week, it hit me that I'd entered the big leagues. As a city of more than 20 million people, Cairo is the most populous city in the Middle East and the second most populous in Africa. And it feels like it. Every highway, road, and alleyway is clogged with cars and motorbikes spewing fumes into the air. The honking never stops: long honks, short beeps, and everything in between.
The cars, and their drivers, are in every kind of conversation imaginable. Other noises proliferate, from street-side shouts to the rumble of construction. Every street seems to have a construction site and a building under renovation or being built. Cairo is the most polluted city in the world, according to the Eco Experts' report. The World Health Organization's Global Ambient Air Quality Database , which focuses on measures of air quality, ranks Cairo second worst for PM10, or particulate matter that is 10 micrometers in diameter or less.
When judging by PM2. Marey wanted to look at the problem from a different perspective. Even though people had guesses about the reasons for the black clouds, the ground data available in Egypt only gave people the same information that they could already see with their own eyes: air pollution got much worse during the black cloud events. Marey had received a research fellowship to study abroad as part of her PhD work, and decided to use it to learn more about the black cloud. When she arrived in Colorado, Gille helped Marey learn more about remote sensing and explore the available data.
Then she moved on to put the pieces together for her study. She talked to a lot of people, asked a lot of questions, and found the data sets she needed to answer her questions. The colored spots indicate plume height measurements, with abundant bright blue-green spots showing that the smoke mostly resided in the lower meters 1, feet of the atmosphere. The arrow pointing south shows the direction that the plumes were drifting.
Courtesy H. Marey et al. The timing of the fires was a strong clue, but it did not prove that the smoke from the fires reached Cairo. Using a tool called the MISR Interactive Explorer MINX , and trajectory analysis models, she combined the plume data with the fire data and atmospheric models to learn where the smoke plumes originated, and where they traveled. As it turned out, the plumes blew directly towards Cairo.
Those two findings showed that smoke plumes were contributing to the black cloud. But it did not explain why the pollution was so persistent. Using temperature, meteorological data, and models that described the movement of smoke and pollution, Marey found an explanation.
After rice husk burning was made illegal, farmers started burning it at night and early in the morning, when they are less likely to get caught.
Marey also found that the black cloud lurks low to the ground, concentrated in the bottom meters 1, feet of the atmosphere. It was an eye-opener to see just how much people struggle to have running water. We joined Plan Canada to see behind the scenes of projects in Cairo and visited communities around the city. Whether it be clean water, a playground or a school, Plan Canada searches for where the aid is needed most and provides the necessary tools to help.
What used to be a polluted pool of water surrounded by garbage and full of disease is now a clean tiled playground where children can safely play football and ping pong while interacting with other children in the community.
Our next stop was located in the poorest neighbourhood of Cairo. The streets were made of dirt, littered with garbage and the buildings were falling down.
But as we approached the school, we were greeted by smiling, playful children who definitely give hope for the future. With computers, school desks, and a playground provided along with training programs for teachers there is aid getting to those who need it. Cairo is gigantic. But with school programs, they have a chance through field trips to see other parts of Cairo. It can be a real inspiration for them. Next, we moved on to see some houses and communities that have been provided with plumbing, clean running water, and toilets.
Until now, people had to walk distances just to have a drink of water. Now they have a legal sanitation system. Our final stop was a business set up through micro-finance programs. Struggling families can apply for a loan to start their own business they have 24 months at a very low-interest rate to pay that back. People who otherwise would never be able to finance a project themselves are now given the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. The sheesha bar outside by the pool of our hotel was going strong, the smoking section in the restaurant seeped into the non-smoking area sectioned off by an invisible line, and the lobby was filled with men in suits chain-smoking while they sat in lavish chairs looking important.
When we first checked in to our five-star resort at the Intercontinental Hotel in Cairo, we were put on a smoking floor. Our room reeked of cigarettes. We woke up each morning with a headache and congestion. When we asked to change rooms we found out that there was a non-smoking floor. We were elated to move. Unfortunately for us, nobody abides by the smoking rules in Cairo and it was just as smoky on the non-smoking floor as it was on the smoking floor.
The smoke seeped into our room. I opened the window to let some fresh air in, but unfortunately, Cairo is so polluted so it made things worse. Plus, with the window open you can barely hear yourself think with all the honking going on outside. If you are going to Cairo, be sure to pack a mask. And a good mask will help filter out the dust particles, pollution, and cigarette smoke.
Add noise-canceling headphones with soft music and I always carry peppermint oil and tiger balm. They open up the sinus passages and calm coughs and colds. Allergy eye drops are a good idea as well. If you are arm yourself with these items, you may just feel comfortable exploring the awe-inspiring sites of Cairo.
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