The high rates of air pollution in Egypt are common knowledge. But it is very much distressing to realise that they are the highest worldwide.According to the Economist, Cairo tops the list of the worst 55 polluted cosmopolitans. The latest figures show that the concentration rate of polluted particles in the air inhaled by Cairenes is 149 per cubic metre.Regrettably, the locales have in most cases come into terms with all kinds of pollution. The black fumes emitted from car exhausts have ceased to be an annoying sign for them. The traffic police are much more concerned with motorists fastening their seat belts in the crowded streets of the capital than spotting cars that pose a real threat to the environment and people's health
In comparison, the hazy, dusty layer engulfing the sky becomes so apparent in the eyes of foreigners and returning expatriates once they step foot in Cairo Airport.It would be fascinating to imagine how life would be if such high rates are brought down. The fatigue, which most inhabitants of Cairo suffer today, would disappear. The incidence rates of many diseases currently wearing out the Egyptians would be within normal limits. People would be able to breathe fresh air and see the real colour of the sky in an almost-year round sunny country.With tough measures and strict enforcement of laws, life could be as bright as imagined. But indifference and negligence on the part of law enforcers and the lack of awareness and persistence on the part of the public have made a small dream as living in a relatively clean environment a pipe dream.
