The INECO Egypt Stakeholder Workshop
Meeting local residents in Basandeila

The 1^st day of the Egypt Stakeholder workshop in Mansoura

The INECO Local Stakeholder Workshop was held on July 21^st 2007, at the Conference Hall of the Mansoura Children's’ Hospital of the Mansoura University. It was the fourth in a series of stakeholder events already organized in Egypt, with the aim to:

• Promote information sharing,
• Enhance awareness on water resource protection and conservation, and
• Develop dialogue among all parties on water pollution issues in the Dakahlia Governorate. 

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The workshop focused on water pollution experienced in the Basandeila Nile Branch, and on drinking water quality issues in the Basandeila village and neighbouring agglomerations. The Basandeila area, similarly to the entire Nile water distribution network, faces alarming water quality degradation problems. Waste disposal, heavy use of pesticides, inadequate domestic wastewater treatment, and uncontrolled discharge of industrial effluents have transformed open waterways to repositories and conveyors of liquid waste, and have created major pollution issues. In the region of the Bahr Basandeila Canal, water pollution is mostly due to the discharge of industrial and municipal effluents without prior treatment. The serious contamination of waters that are also used for potable water supply, raises questions on the safety of water produced for drinking purposes, even after it has been treated by the compact unit installed in the area. Furthermore, there are increasing complaints on the quality (taste and odour) of tap water, the condition of the water distribution network and the quality of the water services provided (frequent supply interruptions).

    Event overview

The event was structured in 2 main sessions. Session 1 was dedicated to overview presentations, including:

• An overview of "The INECO project approach and methodology" by Prof. Dionysis Assimacopoulos, INECO Project Coordinator.
• The analysis of "Environmental and Health impacts of water pollution", by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Mansour, Professor of Pediatrics and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Mansoura University.
• An outline of "The role of Rural Communities & Guidelines on appropriate agricultural practices for water pollution mitigation", by  Prof. Dr. Ebtehal Mohamed Kamal, Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture in the Mansoura University.
• A presentation of "The role of the Regional Branch of the Environmental Affairs Agency of the Eastern Nile Delta in water pollution prevention and control", by Dr. Ahmed Rakha, on behalf of Dr. Gamal El Saeedy, Director of the Regional Branch of the Environmental Affairs Agency of the Eastern Nile Delta.

• An overview of the current situation regarding "The provision of drinking water and sanitation services in the Dakahlia Governorate", by Eng. Mohamed Ragab, Head of the Dept. of Technical Support of the Dakahlia Water and Sanitary Drainage Company.
• A presentation on the "Psychological impact of water pollution on individuals and the society", by Prof. Dr. Eman, PhD in Sociology, Professor in the Faculty of Arts in the Mansoura University.
• An analysis of "Water pollution causes and effects in the deila area and the Dakahlia Governorate", by Prof. Dr. Samy El Fellaly, Agricultural Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation.

During the 2^nd session, Basandeila village residents presented their views, and queried the representatives of the corresponding authorities on the quality of waters of the Basandeila Nile Branch, the applied water treatment processes, and the quality of the water that actually reaches their homes.

Following from the 1^st day workshop, the INECO team organized an additional stakeholder meeting in the Basandeila Hospital, on Sunday, July 22^nd 2007. Approximately 30 people participated in the meeting, including leaders of the National Democratic Party, hospital employees and officials of the Drinking Water Treatment Plant of Basandeila.  The meeting was also attended by Eng. Mohamed Ragab, responsible for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage in the Dakahlia Governorate and by Prof. Dionysis Assimacopoulos, the INECO Project Coordinator.

During the meeting it became evident that drinking water quality problems exist and can be related to the condition of the water distribution network.

Participants jointly decided that local initiatives are essential for addressing the quality problem, and discussed the following course of action:

• The Water Utility would check connecting pipes along the distribution network to ensure that there is no leakage or mix of domestic sewage and potable water.
• Residents and local actors should help in identifying problematic areas and inform the Water Utility on the future needs of the region in potable water, so that the local capacity expansion plan is updated.
• All local actors should try to enhance awareness among local residents on ways to protect the waters of the canal, and discourage the disposal of domestic waste, sewage and dead livestock bodies in the Basandeila Canal (water intake area).

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