 |
Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
 |
|
Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
|
 |
Coastal region and small island papers 14
Annex 6
SUMMARY OF PRESENTATIONS
Workshop on the Status of the Pilot Project for Sustainable Development of Submarine Archaeological Sites at the Qait Bey Citadel and the Eastern Harbour 20–21 November, 1999
1. Qait Bey Citadel
M. ABDEL AZIZ
The history of the Citadel’s restoration was reviewed. The current needs to secure the rock on which it stands, and to restore the Citadel aesthetically, were highlighted (Abdel Aziz, undated, unpublished).
2. Underwater archaeology in Alexandria
I. DARWISH
Gaston Jondet, a pioneer of underwater archaeology, discovered the breakwaters of a pre-Alexandrian harbour to the north and west of the Ras el Tin promontory. The Centre d’Études Alexandrines, in co-operation with the Department of Underwater Archaeology of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, rediscovered the submarine site to the east of Qait Bey and carried out a detailed survey. More than 3,000 artefacts were located, including sphinxes, columns, obelisks and granite blocks of more than 70 tons. The Institut Européen d’Archéologie Sous-marine, in co-operation with the Department of Underwater Antiquities, established an accurate map of the submerged royal buildings and royal harbours in the Eastern Harbour and recorded more than a thousand artefacts on the harbour bed (Darwish, 1998a, 1998b, and Darwish et al., 1999, unpublished reports).
3. Socio-economic aspects of the underwater
museum project
M. EL-NAYAL
A study funded by the UNESCO Cairo Office (El-Nayal, 1999, unpublished) was based on the responses of 170 people from the Qait Bey area: 103 fishermen, 60 workers and 7 small-scale business owners. The respondents came from a wide range of educational levels, from illiterate to university-educated individuals, although the average educational level was very low since most of the fishermen were illiterate.
There are about 500 fishing boats in operation everyday in the Qait Bey area. Generally, the fishermen are very dependent on the weather. They cannot fish from January to June because of rough seas. Since fishing is banned during the breeding season in July and August, the fishing season is only four months long, from September to December. There is no alternative work for the fishermen during the off-season. So the fishermen’s income is low and they are often in debt.
The development of an underwater museum in the Qait Bey area will have some positive impacts on the economy by creating new jobs in tourism and other related activities: underwater tours, handicraft industries, hotels and restaurants. On the other hand, the project will also have some negative impacts, for example the disappearance of some traditional economic activities and cultural changes due to the influence of tourism.
A programme for the social improvement of the local population, especially the fishermen, was recommended, and would include:
education, including training in modern fishing methods, introducing the principles of modern economy, establishing a special school for young fishermen;
encouraging and assisting the fishermen to form co-operatives which would facilitate the purchase of fishing equipment and access to financial credit;
paying particular attention to the social welfare of the fishermen and their families.
4. Meteorological and hydrodynamic processes
A. EL-GINDY
The widely dispersed data in the literature on the oceanographic forces that affect the Alexandrian coastal zone have been collected, and provide a general picture of seasonal and inter-annual variability. There is a lack of wave data. Regular, long-term data on waves, currents and sea-level within and outside the Eastern Harbour are needed. Ocean current, wave refraction and forecasting models should be applied as necessary tools for the environmental impact assessment of any proposed coastal work on the site.
5. Seismic and geophysical processes
M. BACILY
Major seismic and tectonic features related to earth movements in the eastern Mediterranean were discussed. Historical earthquake records from 320 AD to 1900 AD were reviewed, followed by instrumentally recorded earthquakes from 1900 to 1998. The statistical treatment of the frequency and magnitude of the earthquakes leads to the conclusion that, within a radius of 200 km of the site, the largest expected earthquakes should have a magnitude of 6.3 to 6.7 and a recurrence of eight times in 900 years. The need for a comprehensive geophysical study of the site was underlined, including scanning of the sub-bottom, study of the bedrock setting of the Citadel, and seepage and its effects on the sub-surface.
6. Coastal dynamics and geomorphology
O. FRIHY
Comparison between bathymetric surveys, carried out at an interval of about 50 years, reveals strong erosion along the main axis of the Eastern Harbour at an average rate of 13 cm per year and deposition at an average rate of 5 cm per year. The difference between the rates indicates that much of the eroded material escapes the harbour to settle in the vicinity of the Pharos site.
7. Geological aspects, sediment transport
and bottom topography
M. EL-SAYED
Studies of the sediment in the Eastern Harbour shows a high copper and zinc content near the shipyard and an accumulation of organic matter downstream from the wastewater outfalls. The Aswan High Dam and the extraction of water inland diminish the sediment load that arrives in the Nile Delta. This has led to loss of land in the Delta and relative sea-level rise. This will be exacerbated by the impact of global climate change (El-Sayed, 1999, unpublished).
8. Primary productivity and the rate of fouling
of submerged artefacts
M. DORGHAM
An abundance of biogenic material in and around the Eastern Harbour enhances two biological processes of concern to a marine park. It stimulates plankton productivity, thus reducing water transparency, and accelerates the rate of fouling growth on all submerged structures and artefacts. Literature published in the last four decades relative to these two processes in the Eastern Harbour has been collated. Information about the Pharos site remains very scant.
9. Water quality and pollution control
in the Eastern Harbour
H. AWAD
Numerous pollution and water quality surveys have been conducted in the Eastern Harbour. Physical-chemical indices point to a slight but unmistakable improvement in the last five years. Further improvement is expected after the year 2003 with the closure of all on-site wastewater outfalls. It will then be possible to consider a development programme for tourism. However, a fully-fledged programme for an underwater museum will have to wait until the year 2010, by which time all Alexandria’s wastewater should be treated. A major concern will remain: the rates of re-mobilization of contaminants from the sediments (Awad, 1999, unpublished).
10. Alexandria’s sewage system
N. SOHEIL
The current treatment and disposal systems for wastewater and their impact on the marine environment were discussed. Planned developments will take place in two phases. The first phase will be completed in 2003 and will consist of re-routing the Qait Bey discharge and upgrading the capacity of the two treatment plants, east and west. The second phase should be completed by 2010. There are two alternatives: secondary treatment with disposal in Lake Mariout and secondary treatment with lake-bypass. Although the environment around the sites of concern will undoubtedly be improved with the completion of phase one, the eastward current, originating in El Mex Bay, may still affect the archaeological sites but to a lesser degree.
