Together for Ras El Bar…to face such an environmental disaster Thursday, 17th of April, 2008

In solidarity with Damietta's people rejection for building Agrium's plant project for petrochemicals in Ras El Bar, which considered one of the most important tourist cities in Egypt, so we declare our solidarity for establishing this project in the current place there, and that for many reasons, and they are in brief:

  1. The negative impact of the project such stretching and growing on Ras El Bar summer resort city. As well, considered one of the important Egyptian summer resorts, and for what is going to affect in turn on the Egyptian tourism.
  2. The impacts on the environmental marine and that cause of the deflation of the cold water for the plant, which it will deflated in the sea, and that will affect on fishing and the life of the fishermen in the area, which is considered the main living source for them.
  3. Threatening for the environmental balance for this area, cause of the impact of the chemical emissions of the project on the creatures and plants of the area, which considered a natural reserve which is keeping more than hundreds rare plan there, in addition, quite a few rare animals, besides, it is a migrating birds area for birds from Europe till Africa, so any unbalance will happen in this area is going to lead to unbalance in Biodiversity for the migrating birds around the world.
  4. The dangerous waste that the plant is going to through, in which the Environmental Ministry make a condition to re-export it with a safe method outside, which is considered a disastrous threaten if there is a leak form it.
  5. The plant is too close from the population and Damietta's port and the effect on people's health there and their threaten safety cause of these chemical emissions, and what will lead from a environmental impacts, besides, Ammonia and Urea tanks are flammable.
  6. Petrochemical industry derived form the most hazardous project for environment pollution and one of the blacklists. Especially, the company of the project has many precedents on environment pollution in Ohio, USA and Argentina.
  7. The decision of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation about the agreement, is pulling 1200 cubic meters / hour from Nile river of Damietta branch for feeding the project, which is a huge waste for the water resources, which is not even enough for the essential use.
  8. The fragility of the area of the project, and it is one of the sinking districts, and that cause of the strength of waves and beach’s corrosion, and that means it is an area subjected to climate change impacts. As well, it's subjected to the losing of all investments which the Government shares, which means a waste of the public money.

All these reasons commits us and all Egyptians the solidarity with Damietta's people, because this is a whole country's case and to collect our voices to ban building that plant, and establishing it away of residential areas and the important environmental resources, and to take into consideration all the cautions to ban these resulted impacts of the project, as we invite all environmentalist around the world to stick together for saving the environment from that risk, because we still on one Earth…