Egypt: Nile islanders face eviction to make way for grand development plan

Egypt: Nile islanders face eviction to make way for grand development plan

The years-long fight against the urbanisation of Warraq kicked off again

Photo: AFP via Getty Images

By AFP Published: Mon 5 Sep 2022, 11:11 AM

Residents of a Nile island in greater Cairo woke up in recent weeks to find officials taking measurements of their houses — a final step before enforcing demolition orders.

Since then, people from Warraq — some of whom have been on the working-class, agricultural island for generations -- have renewed efforts to oppose a mega development project that would see the island's character and their homes erased.

"Just give us a part of the island, even if it is behind a wall," one resident in his thirties told AFP, requesting anonymity due to security concerns.

"We will not leave," he added, insisting he has all the proper documentation for his house.

With its green fields, red-brick buildings, irrigation canals and livestock farming, Warraq, located in the Giza governorate and home to around 100,000 people, is just a ferry ride away from Cairo's traffic-choked streets.

In late July, the government evoked images of Manhattan as it unveiled an almost billion-dollar plan for the six-square-kilometre island's redevelopment, featuring glittering skyscrapers, helipads and marinas.

Minister of Housing Assem Al Gazzar has labelled those who oppose the redevelopment