Cairo Probs And Solutions

Problems and solutions in Cairo Location and growth Cairo is located on the edge of the desert where the River Nile leaves its valley and enters the delta. Although the Giza pyramids were built nearby, it was not until the tenth century that Cairo became a permanent settlement. Today it is the largest city in Africa with a population estimated to be over 12 million. Housing Unlike most other cities in developing countries, Cairo has few squatter settlements. Instead,most buildings are brick-built and permanent. Many newcomers to the city live within the old medieval core (Figure 4.22). Some find accommodation in overcrowded, two-roomed apartments within tall flats. Others 'camp' in any empty space in roof-top slums on tops of offices and other buildings (the desert climate allows roofs to be flat). Later an extra storey may be added to the building, often illegally, workshop making the temporary homes permanent. Another estimated 2 million people (the authorities have no real idea) live in Cairo's 'City of the Dead'. This is a huge Muslim cemetery where people find shelter, often inside the tombs themselves.The tombs are dry and clean but lack electricity, sewerage and running water - services not needed by the dead! The 'city' now has its own market and industries. Other problems The authorities in Cairo, in common with other large and rapidly growing cities, are faced with numerous problems other than just housing. Some of these are summarised in below.

Attempts by the authorities to solve these problems • Implementing an aid-funded scheme to repair and extend the old sewerage system. • Constructing an outer ring road, new urban motorways and a metro line (this already carries over a million people a day). • Organising refuse-collection by licensing donkey carts. • Erecting numerous high-rise apartment blocks, mainly in the suburbs. • Extending the area served with electricity (electricity comes from the High Dam at Aswan). • Building new dormitory towns which are linked to Cairo (El Obour and 15th of May City) and new ,satellite' towns which are self-contained (Sadat City and 10th of Ramadan City). The satellite new town of Sadat City Sadat City was planned as a self-contained, independent new town with the main aim of encouraging people and industry to move away from Cairo. It is located halfway along the desert road between Cairo and Alexandria, far enough from them to discourage daily commuting, but close enough to benefit from the proximity of Cairo and its international airport and from the port of Alexandria. The plan, which began to be implemented in the late 1970s. The population is expected to reach 400 000 by 2001. The master plan consisted of a central spine flanked by neighbourhoods of 4000 to 6000 people at one end and industry at the other. Housing consists of three- or fourstorey blocks of flats built from either prefabricated concrete panels or sandstone blocks. The houses, with an average size of 140 m2, are built on a self-help basis. Residents are encouraged to buy their own homes, but only those with reliable, wellpaid jobs in the formal sector can afford the loans. Each neighbourhood has its own primary school and a nursery and is linked, by footpaths, to five other neighbourhoods. At the centre of the six neighbourhoods are services which include secondary education, health care and social services as well as facilities for recreation, cultural and religious activities. The water supply comes from underground. The mixed economic base consists of industry supplemented by several central government offices and a university research and training centre. The informal sector is also being encouraged, as is the use of public transport.