South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda said on Wednesday that the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh is now a “green city.”
Fouda said that a factory will be established to manufacture environmentally-friendly paper bags, which will coincide with a ban on shipping plastic bags into the city, in addition to constructing a power plant to generate electricity using solar energy.
The announcement came during a meeting held for the Chamber of Tourism Establishments in South Sinai over measures to prevent the use of plastic bags.
The meeting was held in the presence of the President of the Chamber, Guevara al-Jafi, the President of the Investors Association in Sharm el-Sheikh Tamer Makram, and a number of hotel and resort managers in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Fouda has called on the Investors Association and businessmen in Sharm el-Sheikh to establish a special association for the protection and preservation of the environment.
The Governor reviewed ongoing environmental conservation efforts during the meeting, such as steps to increase reliance on renewable energy resources. The measures comes as part of efforts to transform Sharm el-Sheikh into a sustainable, green, eco-friendly city in cooperation with Egypt’s Environment Ministry, and include the construction of a solar power plant with a capacity of 5 megawatts, which he expects to increase to 40 megawatts.
He added that a marina for yachts and other small boats will be established alongside the “green areas,” in addition to the development of the Naama Bay area and its planned transformation into an “international tourist promenade.”
Fouda previously directed authorities to determine a location for the construction of a factory for eco-friendly paper bags, an alternative to plastic bags, which will be banned completely in the Governorate when the alternative is available.
Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad said last year that the ministry supports South Sinai’s initiative to transform Sharm el-Sheikh into a so-called “green city” in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Back in 2018, projects included steps to boost recycling and renewable energy use, as well as the reuse of water. The budget for the project, provided by the UNDP, totals $US 5 million.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
