There are 116 unsafe residential areas in Greater Cairo comprising a total surface area of 518 feddans, a new governmental study says.
Approximately 63,000 residential units are built in these areas, of which 50,000 units are in Cairo and Giza.
The study, prepared by the the General Authority for Urban Planning, said some of the areas pose a threat to the lives and health of their residents .Some buildings must be demolished and others restored, according to the study.
Greater Cairo includes Cairo, Giza, 6th of October, Helwan and parts of Qalyubiya
The unsafe residential areas have decrepit buildings and high population densities.
Mostafa Madbuli, head of the urban planning authority which put together the report, said 40 percent of buildings in Greater Cairo were built without proper planning.
In 2008 the Egyptian government established a fund for the development of slum areas, for which it earmarked a budget of LE500 million, later raising the amount to LE800 million.
In recent years, clashes have erupted between shantytown residents and security when eviction orders have been implemented on the grounds of construction violations.
In September 2008 a rock slide in one such area, Duweiqa, eastern Cairo, left 102 people dead and another 250 injured.
