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500 Tons of Phosphate Dropped Into Nile River Leading To ‘Extreme Emergency’

The Nile River
The Nile River

The capsizing of a ship carrying 500 tons of phosphate in Qena has resulted in a state of extreme emergency being declared by Egypt’s Minister of Irrigation Hossam Moghazi.

According to Al-Ahram, the ship collided with a bridge’s foundation in the Upper Egyptian city, leading to it capsizing.

The Ministry of Irrigation declared the state of emergency as a precautionary measure as phosphate is not soluble in water.

However, the Ministry has affirmed that the Nile’s water will still be fit for human use and that samples extracted from the river at the site of the collision show “normal quality” of water.

Nevertheless, Egypt’s Ministry of Environment has set up a committee to investigate the phosphate spill.

According to a statement by the Egyptian cabinet, an operations room was also set up at the Environment Ministry to coordinate between the different ministries and to ensure investigations are accurate and succinct.

http://egyptianstreets.com/2015/04/22/5 ... emergency/

Seems odd to declare a state of extreme emergency.....and then go on to say there's no problem

Quote: "Seems odd to declare a state of extreme emergency.....and then go on to say there's no problem
Not if you live in Egypt it's not…..

Al Ahram, usually considered to be a more reliable source than EgyptianStreets, reported:

"Phosphate spill did not affect Nile water: Officials

A barge carrying phosphate capsized in Upper Egypt on Tuesday

Nile water is fit for human use, an official at the National Water and Sanitation Company has said after a barge carrying phosphate capsized in Upper Egypt on Tuesday.

Thoraya Shohdi, head of the quality department at the company in Qena, said samples extracted from the river at the site of the incident and nearby show “normal percentages.”

Irrigation ministry spokesman Khaled Wassef told Ahram Online on Tuesday that phosphate, which is used in mining and agriculture, is not soluble in water, adding that “there is little risk of poisoning drinking water.”

Meanwhile, the environment ministry has sent a committee to Qena to examine the aftermath of the incident.

An operations room at the ministry was set up to follow up on the situation and to coordinate between different administrative, policing and environmental bodies in the city to control the situation, state news agency MENA said.

The barge capsized after colliding with the foundations of the city's Dandara Bridge.

The captain and his deputy were able to flee to safety.

Egypt is dependent on the Nile River for its water supply. The country's annual water quota from the Nile is 55 billion cubic metres."

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... icial.aspx

To be honest it's rather an irrelevant post unless of course your live north of qena, which we don't and as long as the Nile keeps flowing north I wouldn't fret to much….

Any content of phosphates in a river..be it from fertilisers or a concentrate like this can all cause eutrophication which effectually kills off most life ie fishes, crustaceans etc and increase algae in the river...which would spread downstream also.
It can cause a river to "die off", and is yet another example of the pollutant effects of human activity on the environment.

Much of this pollution is seen in rivers in China and other countries, where it has caused die off of the rivers, which are green with the resultant algae, and can be even seen from space.
This shows the process of eutrophication.k

Who2 wrote:To be honest it's rather an irrelevant post unless of course your live north of qena, which we don't and as long as the Nile keeps flowing north I wouldn't fret to much….

I entirely agree.

But the initial hysterical 'rapid response' raised a titter

This level of spillage will have absolutely no environmental consequences, even for those downstream.

But you'll get the usual chorus of doom & gloom from the ill-informed pseudo-scientists......watch out for the 'cut & paste' pontifications.

Time to catch on history of the Nile I have many books regarding it but this one by 'Twiggers Red Nile is really good and full of strange and interesting facts…….
https://www.google.com.eg/?gfe_rd=cr&ei ... rt+twigger

Ps: Here's a sneaky one I took of Robert about 400 miles from the Nile, "lost again are we 'twiggers' ?

It's not so long ago, that there were only two of these barges a day they always passed by Luxor about 6 a.m., but now there seems to be many more and throughout the day and very often during the night.

Since the fall of the tourist industry in Luxor, the motor boats have moved into the public transport service. There are regular motor boat services now from as far away as La Galta and other WB unofficial 'ports', that drop people, mainly workers in the city throughout the day and night at a number of unofficial places. Most people will not have realised this, but I stay at a hotel by the Nile and have noticed this vast increase in river boat use over the past few years. I have often seen as many as 25 people on such boats, you often will see them on the roofs of such boats, and before anyone on here mentions it, yes I do know the difference between a boat full of Egyptian tourists and one filled with locals.

I can see a new decree coming out of the Governors office that such boats can only operate along side the local ferry as before, when after dark you was not even allowed to be dropped off at the old Metropolitan.

I do not doubt your observations A-four, but for a while now I have noticed the near none existence of the chug chuggers that pass by the rear of my property. Can not really remember the last time I heard one go past.

About 8 barges, all empty, barged through Luxor this afternoon. About 4 in each direction. What a waste of diesel!