Project News

The Project for Strengthening Water Management Transfer (SWMT Project) implemented an environmental campaign in Ebheet of Fayoum on March 30, 2015.

In Ebheet, garbage issue is very serious due to the lack of a good system to collect and bring garbage to a specific safe place. Therefore it has been often happened that garbage is easily thrown into the branch canal, which prevents smooth flow of water in the canal. In order to solve this environmental issue, it is necessary to implement the following three activities (1) to find a measure to collect garbage, (2) to enhance environmental awareness of community people, and (3) to establish a system to collect garbage based on the activities of (1) and (2).

Since the roads are unpaved and a large truck cannot be used to collect garbage in Ebheet, the Project has a plan to provide a tractor for the local counterpart (CP) to collect garbage. To implement this plan, the Project will support local people and the CPs to establish a system to collect garbage by using a tractor, while raising their awareness to understand the essence of the garbage issue.

Under the current situations mentioned above, the environmental campaign was implemented to give them a chance to share the essence of the garbage issue and to enhance their environmental awareness.

In order to continue the campaign, it is also important for the Branch Canal Water Users' Associations (BCWUAs) of Ebheet to play its active role in implementing the environmental activities continuously, while the Project will also monitor their activities.

This time, the environmental campaign targeted school children who will play an important role in developing their communities in the future.

In the campaign, about 100 people including the CPs, teachers, students and community people participated in several activities such as a ceremony of awards for environmental contests of essays, photos and pictures, plays on environment and exchange of opinions on environmental issues by the students.

As for their plays, one was about an imaginary world in which plants and trees polluted files a lawsuit against humans by students of elementary school, while another was about different ideas about environment among family members by students of junior high schools. It was impressive that they were seriously playing their roles, wearing hand-made clothes.

During the campaign, there was an argument between local people and a representative of local unit in charge of collecting garbage, and it made us recognize that their garbage issue is very serious.

After the campaign, the Project will technically support the CPs and community people in planning and implementing several activities to improve the garbage issue such as establishment of a system to collect garbage.

At the same time, the Project will continuously implement the environmental campaign in the other pilot site, referring to lessons learnt in Ebheet.