WASHINGTON, April 29, 2010 - The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant for Egypt in the amount of US$ 7.15 million to support the Alexandria Coastal Zone Management Project.
The grant will support the Government of Egypt’s efforts in reconciling economic development with environmental and social sustainability and implementing an integrated approach to coastal zone management, in particular the ongoing preparation of a National Strategy for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).
"We are pleased that the GEF grant will support this project which is in line with the Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Egypt, namely to ensure environmental sustainability along with economic growth," said A. David Craig, Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti.
The objective of the project is to improve institutional mechanisms for the sustainable management of coastal zones in Alexandria, in particular to reduce land-based pollution to the Mediterranean Sea. The project will pilot innovative and low-cost technologies for pollution reduction originating from agricultural drainage water and rural domestic wastewater.
"The project will reduce the sources of pollution entering the Lake Mariout and subsequently the Mediterranean Sea through pilot pollution reduction measures, and will put in place a participatory mechanism for the integrated and sustainable management of the valuable coastal resources" said Maged Hamed, the World Bank's Task Team Leader of the project.
The Alexandria Coastal Zone Management Project will be implemented as part of the GEF-World Bank-UNEP Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (LME), which will support capital investments, economic instruments, implementation of policy reforms, and strengthening of public institutions and public participation.
The project complements other ongoing projects financed by the Bank including the Second Egypt Pollution Abatement Project (EPAP II)[i], which aims at the reduction of industrial pollution in two hot spots, namely Alexandria (primarily Lake Mariout) and Greater Cairo. In addition, the project builds on the experience gained from the Integrated Sewerage and Sanitation Infrastructure Project (ISSIP), implemented in the fields of sewerage treatment, water quality monitoring, and social participation.
