On November 29, the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, met with relevant officials to discuss the measures taken by the state to protect beaches extending from the Abu Qir area to the northwest coast.
Alexandria
Sky News Arabia contacted the official of the Egyptian General Authority for the Protection of Beaches to learn more about the details of the measures that Egypt is taking to protect its coastal beaches.
The head of the Egyptian General Authority for the Protection of Beaches, Engineer Ahmed Abdel Qader, said that the authority is implementing many projects, the most important of which are huge projects in the city of Alexandria.
He continued, “The first project in Alexandria is the development of the ancient fish ponds attached to the Montazah Palace, and in the west of the city, a project is being implemented that begins in the Bir Masoud area, and reaches the Al-Mahrousa area, which are submersible breakwaters to protect these areas.”
Abdel Qader points out that “a project to protect the coast was completed in the Manshiya area, which was very threatened, and the governorate is currently thinking of exploiting this part by establishing light facilities such as cafeterias and restaurants.”
He added, “As for the western part of the coast of Alexandria, a very large project is being implemented to protect it from collapse by placing submersible barriers inside the sea water in the vicinity of the castle and establishing a new tourist tongue,” noting that the implementation rate has reached 90% and is about to be completed.
septum and tongue
revealed Abdul Qadir About the implementation of other projects in the tourist city of Marsa Matrouh, specifically two projects in the El Obeid Beach area, west of the city, which consist of five sea tongues.
He added, “Other projects in the new city of Mansoura, the Port Said area, and many projects in the coast of Kafr El-Sheikh city are an environmentally friendly project funded by the Climate Adaptation Project.”
He points out that “the climate adaptation project is currently studying the entire Mediterranean coast, starting with Rafah in the east to Salloum in the west, to implement projects to adapt to climate changes.”
He explained that the submersible barrier aims to replenish the water within the area between the barrier and the beach, noting that it does not block the view and enjoy the natural view of the sea.
And he added: “Contrary to the port where the submerged barrier is not suitable, so the barrier must be higher than the water level, and its goal is for the water inside the barrier to be calm, and the ships are not in danger as they enter the port.”
As for the importance of the Western tongue; He said that the tongues are implemented in some places according to the study of sea currents and sand deposits, and a study is made towards the tongue, its deflection, and the tip of the tongue as well, and the aim of it is protection.
And about the difference between the western tongue and the submersible barrier, he said: “The first is from the depth of the sea from the interior to the shore, while the second does not require contact with the shore.”
He continued his speech, saying: “The preservation of the beaches is also done through the approach of feeding with sand,” explaining this approach by saying: “Before the construction of the High Dam, and with the occurrence of the flood, the water comes from the upper Nile loaded with some sand, and with the arrival of the water to the estuary of the two branches of the Nile, Damietta and Rashid, this begins When sand collides with sea water, it is deposited naturally and forms a natural protection.”
He points out that this approach (sand feeding approach) is to compensate for what nature was doing. For example, if the sea erodes the shore from 3 to 4 meters in 5 years, this area is fed with sand to bring about ecological balance.
navigation lake
As for the climate change consultant, member of the International Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Samir Tantawi, he explains that recent studies on climate change, sea level rise and erosion factors will erode approximately 14 percent of the world’s beaches by 2050, and this percentage may reach 25 percent by the end of the year. the current century unless urgent measures are taken to adapt to these negative effects.
He added, in exclusive statements to Sky News Arabia: “Egypt has beaches of more than 3,500 km, and as a result of the cessation of the flow of sedimentary materials with the flow of the Nile during the flood, as well as the rise in sea level as a result of climatic changes, this led to an increase in the rates of erosion in the northern coasts of Egypt, which led to to retreat the shore line.”
He talks about the projects that Egypt is currently implementing, saying: “A project is being implemented to protect the coastal strip of Lake Malahah east of the Suez Canal branch, with a length of 4.5 kilometers out of a total of 16 kilometers, at a cost of 40 million pounds.”
And he continues: “Al-Malaha Lake was part of Lake Manzala before the construction of the Suez Canal, and it is connected to the Mediterranean Sea at Kilo 2 and Kilo 16. However, the cases of al-Baghazin are bad because they have silting and the sea water does not flow into the lake. A new gas pipeline is between them, with the aim of protecting the strip from the erosion factors it is exposed to, which led to cutting the coastal strip, causing the lake to lose much of its fish wealth.
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He added: “A project of adaptation of the Nile River Delta to climate changes and sea level rise was currently implemented in the manner of integrated coastal zone management through the application of pilot projects to choose the best scientific and practical environmentally friendly methods over a period of one and a half years, such as palm fronds, reeds and wooden sand traps due to the movement of sediments by wind because of their Very low costs compared to concrete block protectors.
And he added, “Mastoura 71 was chosen, which is 30 km east of Rashid and 29 km west of the port of Burullus, as its lands are flat and low in relation to the mean sea level, which allows for a better testing of the earth bridge system.”
He explained that “three designs of a sand bridge were tested with the aim of repelling sea waves during the nucleus, and the longitudinal space of each design occupies about 250 m, with an interface distance of 150 m, and the model includes units in the form of a huge tube of weather-resistant material, with a width of 4 m and a length ranging from 15 for 30 m and filled with sand to prevent the model from eroding when exposed to water during the nucleation period, provided that these units are covered with a layer of dredging product of Lake Burullus gas (mud layer) to ensure greater stability, then a layer of dolomite rocks so that the final height of the bridge is 3 m from the average level The surface of the sea, and sand is fixed on it using the cultivation of plants of the same type found in the area (desert plants), so that the roots of the plants work to stabilize the soil.
and on how to adapt to the negative effects of climate change to reduce its risks on coastal areas; He said that a framework has been prepared that includes a national plan to deal with beach erosion due to the negative effects of climate changes and the possibility of sea level rise, through the principle of coexistence with the sea as a new technology using unconventional and environmentally friendly means of protection, such as using the product of dredging the dredgers, and the approach channels for sea ports in Feeding beaches that are exposed to erosion with the work of pilot projects such as sand bridges to protect the delta from erosion, and the state has implemented protection works for about 25 percent of the delta’s coastline, which is 220 km long, using various means of wave breaks.
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