The government agency charged with cleaning up Cairo’s twin city of Giza admits it is swamped.
“We have neither the manpower, nor the equipment to pick up all the rubbish,” said one official who asked to remain anonymous, as three street sweepers in green outfits dumped torn garbage bags onto a truck already overflowing with litter.
“We are looking to recruit sweepers but people are ashamed of collecting rubbish,” the official said.
The problem has prompted some to take things into their own hands.
Amina al-Bendari, who teaches history at the American University in Cairo, spent two hours with a few neighbors picking up the rubbish on their street.
“We are still paying the [freelance rubbish collectors], but they don’t come every day anymore,” she said. “They killed the pigs. What is the alternative now?”
RSS