Beyond gov’t incentives, what Beheira people really need from Sisi

CAIRO – 4 April 2018: Following Beheira Governor Nadia Abdo’s promise to improve the sanitation system and solve the water problems in the governorate's cities and villages with the highest turnout, Beheira people were encouraged to cast their ballots in the 2018 presidential election, recording one of the highest turnout nationwide.

As election results showed that more than 1.5 million Beheira citizens decided to renew their trust in President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, a number of Sisi supporters were asked about the complaints they want to issue to the government during Sisi’s second term.

Emad Bakr, who resides in Zawyet Ghazal village, told Egypt Today that the nearest school is two kilometers away from the place his family members reside in, and that his children may have to take a tuk-tuk (aka rickshaw) to be able to reach it, increasing financial burden on parents.

Last November, dozens of women demonstrated in Izbet an-Nawwam Saad in Damanhour, following the death of seven students in a tuk-tuk accident. Children in Izbet an-Nawwam have to use tuk-tuks as there are no schools in the place. Egyptian law does not allow tuk-tuk drivers to obtain driving licenses. Many teenagers and children have been caught driving tuk-tuks as a consequence.


FILE - School Children taking a pickup truck

A number of residents of Al-Tarh village in Kafr al-Dawar also complained that there is not any school in the village, as the sole school that had served many villages was removed many years ago.

Ahmed Mohamed, who lives in Beban village in Kom Hamada, complained that the drinking water supplied to their houses is contaminated with sewage. He demanded that a sanitation system be built as soon as possible to help stop the spread of diseases.

However, other people in the governorate issued different types of complaints. Apparently, many people face security problems in the streets, while some people complained of “life threatening” problems.

Mohamed Aboul Saoud complained about the international bridge of Damanhour on the Alexandria-Damanhour Agricultural Road, saying that security forces should set up a checkpoint on the bridge, especially at night, as pedestrians suffer from muggers.


FILE - The international bridge of Damanhour

There have been many other complaints about Aboul Matamir Desert Road, which people call the “death road” due to the large number of fatal road accidents taking place on it.

Rateb Shatouri called for the installation of speed bumps along the road. He said that he is worried about kids who have to cross the road to go to their schools. “The road has become more dangerous than the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road,” he added.

Last February, Parliament issued a complaint to Minister of Transportation Hisham Arafat, demanding Aboul Matamir Desert Road be widened, as it seriously endangers citizens’ lives.

With 18 main polling stations and 885 sub-polling stations in Beheira governorate, provisional figures showed that 1,728,622 votes were cast out of 3,730,211 registered voters, recording 46.3 percent turnout, the third highest turnout among governorates in the 2018 presidential election.