Pollution erodes fish stocks and livelihoods in Egyptian lake - in pictures

Local fisherman look elsewhere for their catch since decision was made to dump industrial sewage into the lake

Qarun Lake, set between irrigated farmland and rocky desert south-west of Cairo, used to teem with tilapia, bass, bream and shrimp, offering generous catches to fishermen from surrounding villages. All photos: Reuters

But pollution from agricultural run-off and industrial and domestic waste has in recent years sullied its beauty and sent those stocks plunging, destroying an industry that had provided jobs for generations, fishermen say.

'This lake used to be fine, but after the sewage drain was dumped in it, the fish started to die, then no fish remained except for the very small fish like the sardine,' said fisherman Ramadan Abdel Sattar Awad.

Some former fishermen have adapted their small wooden boats to offer day trips for weekend visitors from Cairo, while others migrated to cities in eastern or southern Egypt.

The 42-kilometre lake lies below sea level and in the time of the pharaohs was fed by Nile floods. Now it is replenished by drainage water and has become increasingly saline, with marine species introduced to replace freshwater fish.

Egypt's scarce farmland along the Nile is farmed intensively, and agricultural run-off has damaged water quality in Qarun Lake, a problem documented in a 2017 government study that also noted increased salinity as a result of evaporation.

A 2020 study published in 'Environmental Science and Pollution Research', an international journal, showed higher-than-normal contamination with metals including copper, zinc, cadmium and lead.

Magdy Allam, an environmental expert at Egypt's Climate Information Centre, an official research group, said work was under way to purify local sewage water and cut Lake Qarun off from drainage from nearby farms.

But its waters have deteriorated rapidly in part because it is an inland lake. 'Closed lakes ... have a more fragile eco-system than other lakes that have open access to seas and oceans,' Mr Allam said.

Some fishermen tried relocating to Wadi El Rayan, a nearby oasis, but in the 2020 study that was also found to be polluted .

More from The National

Egypt's jasmine industry under pressure – in pictures

Clean-up efforts in Egypt's Red Sea under way after oil spill

Egypt's Cop27 is a chance to inspire young people on climate change, says activist

Egypt's water ministry prepares for Nile boat house demolition campaign amid public outcry

Egypt unveils national strategy on climate change before Cop27