Egypt rehabilitating coastal shores to address effects of climate change

Ahram Online , Sunday 12 Jun 2022

Egypt is pressing ahead with efforts to rehabilitate its shores and areas along bodies of water, including the highly fertile lands of the Nile Delta, as part of its strategy to preserve these swathes of lands from the ramifications of climate change.

Egypt s Minister of Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati. File photo

The country is currently carrying out a major rehabilitation drive along 50 kilometres of shores across the country, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati said on Sunday, adding that a series of replenishment works along 210 kilometres of the North Coast have already concluded.

The projects aim to safeguard the citizens residing in these areas and protect existing investments at industrial, agricultural, and tourist zones, the minister pointed out.

Such measures are essential, as according to experts, the rise in sea levels places the Nile Delta at risk of being lost to the sea or losing its fertility due to the interference of saline water, affecting the quality of groundwater and possibly leading to the displacement of millions of Egyptians residing in the north of the Delta.

During Sunday’s meeting, Abdel-Ati reviewed the ongoing replenishment measures, including ceasing the recession of shorelines and restoring beaches lost due to that recession, protecting nearby agricultural areas, sparing some villages and low-lying areas from the risk of flooding, and developing fish resources in the northern lakes.

Meanwhile, the irrigation ministry is also carrying out a project to enhance adaptation to the impacts of climate change on the North Coast and the Nile Delta to counter the rise in sea levels and severe weather conditions that affect low-lying coastal areas and the incursion of seawater.

According to Abdel-Ati, the project — which is set to be completed by 2023 — is being implemented over an area of 69 kilometres in five coastal governorates, namely Port Said, Damietta, Daqahliya, Kafr El-Sheikh, and Beheira.

The project also includes the establishment of Early Warning Centres for weather disasters on the Mediterranean.

Additionally, the ministry seeks to implement an integrated management plan of the North Coast that aims to preserve investments and natural resources. Abdel-Ati added that this plan is due to be fully implemented by 2025.

In related news, Egypt will be hosting the 27th UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27) in the coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh this November.

Furthermore, the country launched its 2050 National Climate Change Strategy in May that aims to cut emissions in various sectors to maintain sustainable economic growth, promote the use of renewable energy sources, produce energy from waste, and utilise alternative energy like green hydrogen.