Egypt to Receive massive UNDP Grant to Protect Nile Delta from Rising Sea Levels

Last week, Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation announced in a statement that Egypt is to receive a EGP 500 million grant from UNDP in its effort to kick off a project to protect the Nile delta against rising sea level, El Ahram reports.

Egypt's Nile delta is one of the most vulnerable areas in the planet to the devastating effects of rising sea levels, seeing that the Nile delta is in fact on lower ground than the Mediterranean. The phenomenon, which is accelerated by climate change, also puts Alexandria, Egypt's 2nd most populous city, at risk of drowning if an elaborate protective system isn't put in place.

The UNDP grant will be used towards building protective structures along Egypt's Mediterranean coast, as well as setting up an extensive mentoring system to foresee dangers before they occur. The grant will also be used to set up protective walls along highways in vulnerable areas.

A ministry official told Al Ahram that the system will take up to 5 years to be fully operational.