Egypt has received a grant from the Green Climate Fund and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) worth US$31.5 million, to protect its cities most at risk from climate change, and sea level rises of about 70 km.
According to a press statement released by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the project will be implemented over seven years, and the agreement will officially signed by the end of this month.
The project aims to build a 60-kilometer long wall along the coast of the Nile Delta.
Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Atty said that the ministry will ascribe great importance to the coastal areas of the Central, East and West Delta, which include the governorates of Port Said, Damietta, Dakahlia, Kafr El Sheikh and al-Beheira.
These regions are the most vulnerable to the risks of climate change and rising sea levels, while holding a large concentration of people, industry, agriculture, tourism and development projects.
In addition to the total submergence of low-lying coastal areas, Abdel Atty noted the risk of severe storms.
Such risks prompted the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation to establish a long-term plan to protect all coastal areas exposed to erosion, with investments estimated at about LE 3 billion.
