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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 24 - 30 June 1999 Issue No. 435
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Interview Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Saving the reefs and islands
By Mahmoud BakrHurghada is one of the richest spots in the world as far as marine life is concerned, ranking second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In fact, the whole of the Red Sea Governorate is worthy of attention and further coordination of effort is needed to preserve its environment.
Looking at Hurghada today, it is hard to believe that just a short while ago it was no more than a fishing village with few inhabitants, all of whom earned their living through fishing.
Now the picture has completely changed. The one-time small village has turned into a big tourist city with sound infrastructure. Its popularity grew rapidly once its natural resources became known worldwide and the number of visitors dramatically increased. Travellers from the four corners of the world flock to the area; hotels and tourist villages were built to cope with the influx; diving centres were established one after the other; and more divers found their way to the coral reefs.
The sudden expansion in the Red Sea Governorate has dramatically changed the area's mood and, consequently, the environment. This is especially so with the area's sea-life.
"Hurghada alone has 240 hotels and tourist villages. Half are already in operation and the rest are under construction. At present, 18,000 rooms are available, providing 36,000 beds," said Talaat Mahdi, head of Hurghada city council.
A $45 million preservation plan is underway to protect the coastal environs and coral reefs near Hurghada and south along the Red Sea coast
Mahdi added that Hurghada, with a population of nearly 60,000, relies almost entirely on tourism. "It has no industrial or agricultural activities. There are about 180 gold shops and bazaars in the city in addition to a number of small retailers selling milk products, tin-cans and furniture. It is the coral reefs and the rare species of underwater life that are the major attraction. About 80 per cent of the income comes from diving and the rest from those who just come for relaxation under the sun," he said.
For that reason, governmental efforts are underway to preserve this valuable commodity. A recent project to document all the coastal resources for 700kms to the south of Hurghada as far as Mersa Alam is being carried out by tourist and environment bodies. Funded by a $4.5 million World Environment Programme grant, the project defines the most appropriate places for tourism development.
"Through this project, and in conjunction with the Environment Bureau in the governorate, we prepared a field study of the present condition of the coral reefs at more than 74 sites, including some of the offshore islands," said Sayed Medyan, environment unit director for the Red Sea Governorate. "Detailed information has been collected concerning the various uses of the reef locations, their distribution along the coastline, identification of the main problems, how to confront them and determine the spots where human activities abound. The study has disclosed some vital information and has presented a complete picture of the present condition of the Red Sea coral reefs," he said.
Ossama Utayeba, owner of a tourist camp at Al-Gifton island, said, "Nature itself has allocated special areas for diving. We are merely exerting the utmost effort to protect and preserve these by providing proper instructions and advice to all visiting divers." He said that much of the damage already caused to the coral reefs in the region, "has resulted from divers ignoring our instructions," but he put the blame on the absence of adequate "legal restraining procedures".
According to officials, one of the most serious problems that causes damage to the reefs is anchoring ships on them. Another is that boats hit the reefs accidentally. Ships are fined according to the amount of material damage they cause to the reefs.
"The latest breach was committed last week by a ship called Louly," said Abdallah Elewa, one of the rangers of the Environment Bureau for the Red Sea. "It was grounded against Al-Gifton reef. Estimation of the damage is still underway."
He pointed out that there were 39 incidents of grounding ships and breaches from April 1997 to April 1998. "The highest fine charged for dropping anchors on the reef zone was $6,000, and the latest fine levied for grounding a ship was $4 million. The vessel Marylin was fined the latter amount when it hit Shedwan reef at Al-Ashrafi nearly one year ago. The fines are directed to the Environment Bureau Fund," he added.
But are fines the solution? Can the damage caused over a few hours really be related to a natural resource such as a reef which has developed over an untold period of time, and which is, moreover, the main tourist attraction? Hardly. Efforts to find better solutions continue.
