Rubbish Reaches Safaga's Port and School Gates After a Second Cancelled Tender; Minister Sets an End-of-September Deadline

Rubbish has spread through Safaga to the corniche, the gates of schools and institutes and the approaches to the seaport, after the Red Sea governor cancelled the city's cleaning tender for a second time and restarted the process among specialist firms, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm.

The problem is no longer confined to residential streets, the paper reported. Ahmed Khaled, who manages a customs clearance office at the port, said the piles in front of Safaga port were regrettable given that it is one of the Red Sea's most important harbours, with daily passenger traffic alongside commercial and shipping activity.

The crisis coincided with the start of the school year, leaving rubbish around schools and institutes and worrying parents and staff. Two residents told the paper that clearing the heaps once was not the answer. Ahmed Salem said what was needed was a continuous collection and transport system reaching every area, not a one-off lift followed by a return to the same state. Khaled Saeed said the city needed a fundamental solution rather than temporary campaigns.

Residents asked the local development minister to step in. Governor Walid El-Barqi said the governorate is working to complete the award to a new company so that collection resumes and runs regularly.

A deadline, and a look at hotel waste

Meeting the governor on 16 September, Local Development and Environment Minister Manal Awad pressed for the tendering and contracting of private companies for integrated waste management across the governorate's cities and districts to be completed before the end of September, and for the most capable operator to be chosen, according to Sada El-Balad.

She also called for tighter oversight and legal action against unregulated waste sorting, particularly in Hurghada, and pointed to a joint committee she had ordered between the governorate and the regional branch of the Environmental Affairs Agency to check whether hotels and tourist facilities comply with the rules. Those establishments must contract firms licensed by the Waste Management Regulatory Authority, make sure their waste reaches the approved treatment and disposal site, and keep records of the quantities handed over.

The same meeting covered a plan to develop Hurghada beyond a beach destination into what the ministry described as an integrated tourism and cultural experience. The governor set out proposals to redevelop Sakala Square, Mina Mosque Square and El-Nasr Street, along with tree planting on main roads and at the entrances to districts and towns.

The reports do not say when the new cleaning contract will actually be awarded, which companies are bidding, or what the contract is worth. For Safaga, the end of September is six days away, and it is the first dated commitment attached to this crisis.