No one anticipated how bleak the air quality situation in Cairo would get, according to a piece by UN Environment. “If the Nile is Cairo’s ailing heart, then polluted skies are its black lungs… The economy is taking a pummeling, with poor air quality knocking off at least one per cent of gross domestic product every year, according to the World Bank” and “roughly 40,000 people are dying from pollution-related problems across Egypt every year,” according to Breathe Life 2030, a joint initiative of the WHO and UN, among others.

However, there is some hope that Cairo could be “getting to grips with its bad breath,” with public transport projects moving at their fastest pace in almost a decade, tighter control over illegal agricultural waste fires, and entrepreneurs providing new innovative solutions. Soraya Smaoun, a senior air quality specialist at UN Environment, says “there is increasing awareness, and more knowledge on the issue of air quality on a global scale, despite the lack of data in some regions. We also know a lot more about solutions now… There are local solutions to monitor and manage air involving a wide range of stakeholders in sectors such as clean and sustainable transportation, waste management, cleaner industries to name a few. This is something that cities like Cairo can work on.”