The “Integrated Management Symposium for Eradication of Nile water pollution” was held in the Hall of the National Democratic Party, in Mahalla (Gharbia Governorate) on March 12th 2007. The event was held under the auspices of the Minister General Governor El Shafei El Dakrory, and was attended by Prof. Dr Magdy Abou Rayan, President of the Mansoura University and project partner in INECO. The Symposium was also attended by Prof. Dr. Mohammed Hamed Shabouri, Mansoura University Vice President on Community Service and Environmental Issues, Prof. Dr. Samy Fellaly, Professor of the Agricultural Research Center and Secretary of the Symposium, the president of the Mahalla local council, by the General Taha Zaghloul, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Party and other local leaders.

Overall, the event was attended by approximately 80 persons, with adequate representation of cultural and educational authorities of the Gharbia Governorate and the area’s city and village authorities. In addition, the audience included representatives from the Ministry of Health and Population, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Industry, local governments, the National Democratic Party, the local water supply company, local council’s members, representatives of NGOs and owners of several textile industries located in the Mahalla city. The event attracted the media attention, including the Al Ahram and El-Wafd newspapers.

The symposium started by underlining the serious water pollution problems the Nile river and its tributaries are currently facing. Pollution impacts both directly and indirectly on citizen health. Direct health impacts are associated with the direct abstraction of river water for drinking purposes, given that drinking water treatment plants cannot ensure 100% removal of dangerous, possibly toxic, substances, mostly originating from the discharge of untreated industrial wastewater from the textile industries located along the river and its canals. Furthermore, river water is used for crop irrigation, and thus impacts on the quality of agricultural products, mostly vegetables and fruit crops. Such impacts are manifested by the increase of people suffering from renal insufficiency, liver cancers and diseases of the digestive tract. In addition to the overall community health, water pollution also results in economic impacts, such as loss of income and productivity, and is a factor inhibiting further economic development.

The symposium ended with three recommendations, agreed upon after 2½ hours of constructive dialogue among the participants. These, as published in the Al-Ahram newspaper on 21/3/2007 were:

1. There is need for continuing the organization of similar events targeting all social groups, in order to introduce a behavioural change on water pollution issues.
2. There is need for providing guidance and recommendations to consumers on the preservation and protection of water resources.
3. Radical solutions should be introduced for dealing with the discharge of untreated industrial effluents from textile industries, most of which lack appropriate infrastructure for safe wastewater and solid waste treatment and disposal.