CAIRO: The Establ Antar neighborhood could be facing a massive rockslide, leading to a disaster that would dwarf that of Duweiqa, Muslim Brotherhood MP Youssry Bayoumy said in a letter addressed to Fathi Sorour, head of the People’s Assembly.
Bayoumy urged Sorour to get answers from Minister of Housing Utilities, and Urban Communities Ahmed El Maghraby, and Minister of State for Local Development Abdel Salam Mahgoub, regarding their plans for Establ Antar in Old Cairo.
According to Bayoumy, leakage in the neighborhood’s sewage system could cause a similar rockslide.
“My question is: What plan has the government set to stop this disaster from happening? And what is the time frame it has set for execution of this plan? he said in statement for the press.
In his letter, Bayoumy suggested several solutions for the problem including immediately fixing the old sewage system to stop the continuous leakage, and focusing on finding a solution to the groundwater, which has flooded nearly all the ground floors of buildings in Establ Antar.
The government also has to speed up the execution of the sewage system and drinking water project in the Khairallah area in Establ Antar – LE 70 million have been allocated for building the sewage system and another LE 30 million for the drinking water, Bayoumy said.
According to the MP, the project is progressing at an extremely slow pace since it began in November 2007.
His final suggestion was for the government to evacuate all the buildings which could be destroyed in the case of a rockslide and to provide their residents with housing.
“I’m warning of this disaster and when the day comes regret will not do us any good; the blood of the Duweiqa victims is on the hands of the government, which knew that this was going to happen and did nothing to stop it, Bayoumy said.
