Recent flooding and torrential rains in Egypt have affected the Nile River, causing higher-than-usual rates of water turbidity and discoloration, according to specialists.
“The flooding has filled the Nile with large amounts of dust and sand,” Abdel Kawy Khalifa, president of the state-run Holding Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation, said in press statements on Tuesday. “We have doubled chlorination levels at all the nation's drinking water stations in order to provide greater purification.”
“The turbidity of the Nile, meanwhile, has risen to 22 times the usual rate as a result of the flooding we've seen in the last few days,” he added. “The turbidity rate has reached 400 units, whereas normal levels should not exceed 15 units.”
An official source also noted the apparent discoloration of the river, pointing out that filters at drinking water stations were now being washed every six hours, whereas the procedure is usually carried out every three days under normal circumstances.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
