Climate change effects over Nile Delta in Egypt

Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector
( ENWIS), a program of the Union for the Mediterranean, informed in March 2010 that “ Pressure is mounting on the Egyptian authorities to do more to protect the Nile Delta, which provides up to a third of the country's agricultural produce, from rising sea levels. A report released in March by the Arab League said a half-to-one-metre sea level rise over the coming 100 years could cause much of the Delta to be submerged. It also said soil erosion on the banks of the Delta could lead to a decline in agricultural yields. In response, Egyptian Environment Minister Maged George said the government was studying "the adverse effects of climate change in coordination with the specialized authorities" and working "to raise society's environmental behaviours through raising environmental awareness among individuals and institutions". He said the government was offering financial incentives to support environmentally friendly facilities or initiatives and would "toughen penalties against violations and risky environmental practices". Some parts of the Delta nearest to the Mediterranean Sea have already been inundated, including parts of the ancient city of Rosetta. The Mediterranean has risen 20cm in the past century and saltwater intrusion is now a major problem, experts say. They expect the sea level to keep rising and flood large swathes of land in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city. Alexandria governor Adel Labib said the government gave his office 150 million Egyptian pounds (US$27.5 million) to take the necessary measures to protect the coast. Irrigation Minister Mohamed Nasr Allam said his ministry had drawn up plans to protect Egypt's shores, but this does not seem to have allayed fears of a sinking Delta. The NGO Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights recently called on the authorities to provide evacuation tips to Delta residents in case of a major flood. It also said the government should to start making plans to compensate residents if they lost their homes and farms. Scientists generally predict that the Mediterranean, and the world's other seas, will rise 30-100cm by the end of the century, flooding coastal areas along the Delta”.