Case Study: Urban problems and solutions in Cairo

Question 1

Facts and figures

Answer 1

• Pop rises 2 million to 18 million from 1950s to 2000

Question 2

Problems/Effects

Answer 2

• Lack of houses
  + Self- built brick houses are built illegally on farmlands by Nile. These informal houses account for 80% of Cairo
  + Half a million live in homemade huts on roof spaces of office blocks
  + 2-3 million set up homes amongst the tombs of old Cairo
• Traffic congestion:
  + 100 000 to over a million cars from 1970 to 2000
• Lack of jobs:
  + University graduates get jobs with gov => low salaries
  + Many poor people are forced to work in the informal sector
• Pollution
  + The air is heavily polluted
  + Groundwater is polluted by waste illegally dumped by factories
  + Leaking and inadequate sewers pollute water courses

Question 3

Solutions

Answer 3

• New satellite and dormitory towns built around the city
• Ring road built encircles the city
• People with donkey carts were licensed to collect and recycle garbage
• A modern metro system was built
• Homes and public services were upgraded in the most run-down parts of the city
• The Greater Cairto Waste Water Project repaired and extended the sewage system