Egypt: Alexandria threatened by climate change and rising sea levels

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00:01In this old quarter of Alexandria, workers are still clearing debris

00:05two weeks after the collapse of a building.

00:08This resident, who lives in a nearby apartment, is still in shock.

00:16It was around 5 in the morning.

00:18I'd just fallen asleep when 10 minutes later I heard screaming

00:21and felt the ground shake.

00:23There was this huge cloud of dust, you couldn't see anything.

00:26Two people died, God rest their souls.

00:30Over the past two decades, 280 buildings have collapsed in Alexandria, killing 85 people.

00:39Across the city, ruins have become part of the landscape.

00:43Tarek Abdelmahassam is an engineer.

00:46These buildings are all over 100 years old.

00:50Here, they're either abandoned in ruins or marked for demolition.

00:54But of course, people are still living in some of them.

00:5724,000 buildings are at risk of collapse in the next few years, according to government figures.

01:03The main reasons are ageing buildings, decades of neglect and the effects of climate change.

01:09Alexandria's biggest problem is that it's a coastal city that's been highly exposed to rising sea levels for years.

01:16That's led to more and more salt water seeping into the ground, weakening the foundations of the buildings and making them unstable.

01:25To help residents living in these unsafe buildings, the authorities have announced a plan to build 60,000 new houses.

01:33They're also trying to slow coastal erosion by building kilometers of concrete barriers between the beach and the city.

01:40These blocks are designed to protect the coastline.

01:44You'll find them at various points along Alexandria's beaches where the sea is eating away at the sand.

01:49I don't think this will solve the underlying problem, but it's a protective measure to try to reduce the impact and slow down the erosion.

01:56According to the United Nations, a third of the city could be underwater or uninhabitable by 2050.

02:06What can they do to ilustral being in this historic, while if the star, is Come to the earth side?

02:07They're still moving across and doing much in any effect.

02:09The state of the lake is in also the coastal shore?

02:16They're also

02:27investing a new plan if they gain access to the solace.

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