19 Satellite Surveys of Lagoon and Coastal Waters . . .
383
(Ahmed et al. 2009). A coastal highway has been built along the Mediterranean coast,
from El Salum in the west to Rafah in the east. The road is parallel to the shoreline,
from which it maintains a minimum distance of about 1 km (Mohsen 1992), and
crosses lagoon openings by bridges that permit navigation of fishing boats as well
as the water exchanges with the sea. This highway has improved both access to and
control of the Nile delta coastal zone and communications between adjacent communities, residential centers, agriculture and industrial areas. However, it has also
stimulated the growth of urban and economic activities around the lagoons, causing
even more pressure on their ecosystems.
19.2.1 Key Features of the Egyptian Coastal Lagoons
Lake Maryut, a completely enclosed body of water with depths ranging from 0.6–
2.7 m, is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by the narrow isthmus on which
the city of Alexandria was built. It covered approximately 200 km
2 at the beginning
of the twentieth century, but has now reduced to just 70 km
2 . The lagoon has a
strategic importance at the local and regional level. It plays an important role in
the water balance of the western Nile Delta, regulating drainage to the sea and
preventing flooding of the coastal zone. Its shores are home to local fisheries (one
of the major activities in the area, with 2,000 fishing boats, owned by about 5,000
fishermen, sustaining a community of about 25,000 individuals) and saltworks. The
fish catch is about 4,000 t annually, declining steadily due to the deterioration of
water quality and the draining of vast areas for land reclamation (GAFRD 2008).
In addition, due to the scarcity of land for new development in Alexandria, the
lagoon and its surroundings are viewed as a prime area for urban expansion (Ahmed
and Elaa 2003). A vast expanse of reclaimed land borders the lagoon, harboring
various residential, commercial, industrial and recreational activities. The spreading
of settlements, often uncontrolled, and the combined discharges of the activities
above are the main sources for Lake Maryut’s environmental problems, related to
shrinking of the water surface, deterioration of water quality, overgrowth of aquatic
vegetation, and declining biological diversity.
Lake Edku is located about 40 Km east of Alexandria and 18 Km west of the Nile
River Rosetta branch. This shallow lagoon, with depths varying from 0.1 to 1.4 m,
maximum depths being in the central and eastern parts, is connected to the adjacent
Abu Qir Bay through the opening of Boughaz El Maadia, a short shallow channel,
300 m in length and 2.5–6 m deep. After the closure of its connection to the Nile
system, and until the beginning of the twentieth century, the lagoon had acquired
predominantly marine characteristics. Its size has decreased substantially since 1964,
to about 60 km
2 , due to the reclamation of a large area on the eastern side. Today, the
lagoon receives large quantities of drainage water, from about 1,260 km
2 of farmland
in the Beheirah province. Two main drains, named El-Khayry and Barsik, supply
agricultural, industrial and domestic wastewaters, as well as the drainage of more
than 300 fish farms. Most of the time, the freshwater inflow, moving from both west
and south to the north, creates a seaward flow through the lagoon, the mean surface
383
(Ahmed et al. 2009). A coastal highway has been built along the Mediterranean coast,
from El Salum in the west to Rafah in the east. The road is parallel to the shoreline,
from which it maintains a minimum distance of about 1 km (Mohsen 1992), and
crosses lagoon openings by bridges that permit navigation of fishing boats as well
as the water exchanges with the sea. This highway has improved both access to and
control of the Nile delta coastal zone and communications between adjacent communities, residential centers, agriculture and industrial areas. However, it has also
stimulated the growth of urban and economic activities around the lagoons, causing
even more pressure on their ecosystems.
19.2.1 Key Features of the Egyptian Coastal Lagoons
Lake Maryut, a completely enclosed body of water with depths ranging from 0.6–
2.7 m, is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by the narrow isthmus on which
the city of Alexandria was built. It covered approximately 200 km
2 at the beginning
of the twentieth century, but has now reduced to just 70 km
2 . The lagoon has a
strategic importance at the local and regional level. It plays an important role in
the water balance of the western Nile Delta, regulating drainage to the sea and
preventing flooding of the coastal zone. Its shores are home to local fisheries (one
of the major activities in the area, with 2,000 fishing boats, owned by about 5,000
fishermen, sustaining a community of about 25,000 individuals) and saltworks. The
fish catch is about 4,000 t annually, declining steadily due to the deterioration of
water quality and the draining of vast areas for land reclamation (GAFRD 2008).
In addition, due to the scarcity of land for new development in Alexandria, the
lagoon and its surroundings are viewed as a prime area for urban expansion (Ahmed
and Elaa 2003). A vast expanse of reclaimed land borders the lagoon, harboring
various residential, commercial, industrial and recreational activities. The spreading
of settlements, often uncontrolled, and the combined discharges of the activities
above are the main sources for Lake Maryut’s environmental problems, related to
shrinking of the water surface, deterioration of water quality, overgrowth of aquatic
vegetation, and declining biological diversity.
Lake Edku is located about 40 Km east of Alexandria and 18 Km west of the Nile
River Rosetta branch. This shallow lagoon, with depths varying from 0.1 to 1.4 m,
maximum depths being in the central and eastern parts, is connected to the adjacent
Abu Qir Bay through the opening of Boughaz El Maadia, a short shallow channel,
300 m in length and 2.5–6 m deep. After the closure of its connection to the Nile
system, and until the beginning of the twentieth century, the lagoon had acquired
predominantly marine characteristics. Its size has decreased substantially since 1964,
to about 60 km
2 , due to the reclamation of a large area on the eastern side. Today, the
lagoon receives large quantities of drainage water, from about 1,260 km
2 of farmland
in the Beheirah province. Two main drains, named El-Khayry and Barsik, supply
agricultural, industrial and domestic wastewaters, as well as the drainage of more
than 300 fish farms. Most of the time, the freshwater inflow, moving from both west
and south to the north, creates a seaward flow through the lagoon, the mean surface