Rising sea levels threaten to engulf the Egyptian port city of Alexandria

Alexandria, the beautiful city on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, is at risk of being drowned by climate change.

Rising sea levels threaten to flood residential and archaeological sites, prompting authorities to erect concrete barriers to prevent tides. A severe storm in 2015 flooded a large part of the city, causing at least 6 deaths and collapsing about 20 homes, revealing weaknesses in local infrastructure.

City of Alexandria.(Photo: Reddit).

Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt, is located in the western Nile Delta, more than 200 km from Cairo and runs along the Mediterranean coast with a length of about 32 km.

However, due to such geographical location, this area is also vulnerable to sea level rise due to global warming. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Irrigation says sea levels rose an average of 1.8mm per year until 1993. Over the next two decades it has increased to 2.1mm per year, and since 2012, it has reached to 3.2mm per year, enough to threaten construction foundations.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that global sea levels could rise from 0.28 to 0.98m by 2100, with serious consequences for coastal cities, Delta and low-lying countries. A 2018 study also predicts that up to 734 km ² of the Nile Delta could be flooded by 2050 and 2,660 km ² by the end of this century, affecting 5.7 million people.