Local sanitation authorities in the Giza governorate have converted a public park in the Warraq district into a makeshift garbage dump, putting the health of some 60,000 nearby residents at risk.
Locals in the area complain bitterly about the insects and foul odors emanating from the dump, where animal carcasses have also reportedly been deposited, causing several cases of respiratory and skin disease.
According to one ambulance worker stationed close to the landfill, it is useless to sterilize ambulances given the noxious smoke incessantly rising from burning refuse.
Giza Municipal Council member Mustafa Ahmed said the site of the dump had been chosen by the Giza governor and the Environment Ministry, making its eventual removal more difficult.
"The government outlaws the burning of rice husks but then burns garbage right here under our noses," said council member Farid Abdo.
According to one employee at the Giza Cleaning Authority, the dump will eventually be moved to another landfill in the Shabramant district.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
