MENUFIYA: Close to 20,000 residents of two villages in Kwaisna, located in the delta governorate of Menufiya, filed petitions to their local council complaining from environmental violations committed at the Kwaisna industrial zone.
The residents complained that smoke emanating from the factories has exacerbated the rate of extreme chest diseases, Eissa Abdel Ghafar, MP representative of Kwaisna, told Daily News Egypt.
“There is a huge pit where those factories burn their waste very close to residential areas. The burning of such industrial materials is a very dangerous health hazard, Abdel Ghafar said.
He added that the citizens of Damalo and Manshiyet Abou Zekri villages have also reported that their “children are can’t breathe because of the smoke and that both their health and their children’s health are in extreme danger as a result of this toxic smoke.
The villagers have been suffering from this problem for four years as the smoke lingers in the air all day after the factories burn their waste, which they do daily after midnight.
Abdel Ghafar does not, however, believe that the local council will respond to their desperate pleas.
“The executive authority that is represented in the local council cannot confront the factory owners, he said. “They are the ones who do the ‘public relations’ work whenever a government official or the Menufiya governor visits the villages. The local council needs them to help improve their image. That’s all they care about.
Daily News Egypt was unable to reach officials at the Menufiya local council for comment.
