CAIRO — Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohammad Abdel Ati announced a state of emergency Dec. 7 after a storm surge flooded the coastline in the governorate of Kafr El Sheikh. 

The incident alarmed the state, which worried that climate change is contributing to rising sea levels and eroding Egypt's coasts.

In a Dec. 11 media statement, the head of the Egyptian Public Authority for Shore Protection, Mahmoud Saadi, said the authority has started implementing three projects to protect the coasts of Kafr El Sheikh, starting with the protection of the Kitchener Drain and the coastal area north of the fish farm in Berket Ghalyoun as a first step. This is in addition to coastline protection, including beach nourishment in the Shark al-Rous area, to the east of the basin. The Kitchener Drain, also known as the Gharbia Drain, passes through Gharbia, Kafr El Sheikh and Dakhalia governorates, with the majority of it in Gharbia.

Saadi said the authority is making great efforts to build new breakwaters in a bid to keep waves that have exceeded 5.5 meters (18 feet) at bay as well as to replenish beach sand and prevent the sea from further eroding the coast.