Alexandria : The first drowning in the rainfall season

Since Saturday or late Friday, Egypt was hit by a wave of unstable weather conditions, especially on the Northern coast.

It was not a surprise, it was expected that the wave would start on Saturday and conclude by Tuesday according to the Egyptian Meteorological Authority “EMA” since last week. Not to mention this is the time of what is commonly known in Alexandria as “Nawat El-Muknesa” or “The Broom storm”.

Alexandria has those “Nawaat” or storms known by date whether according to the Egyptian Coptic calendar or the Gregorian calendar.

Despite the warnings, we found photos like this showing the streets flooded with water after rainfall.

The famous black and yellow Alexandria Taxi drowned in rainwater after
the storm "Mostafa Hassan Via Documentaries 2020"

We have also those crazy videos too

This Nawat El-Muknesa or the Broom storm is actually the first storm in the storms season and not the strongest among them in the first place.

According to Alexandrians, their city did not use to drown like this in the past because the rain drainage system was working fine for decades but then during the era of reportedly Governor Adel Labib, that system changed forever. Alexandrians say that the rain drainage system was merged with the old crumbling sewage system that suffers already from huge pressure due to the increasing population in the major coastal city.

Crossing the street by Abdel Rahman Saif in Alexandria on Monday
Via Documentaries 

Local Officials say that on Monday only the amount of rainwater that fell in 2.5 hours only was estimated at more than two million cubic meters and that the current sewage system could not handle it. “The sewage system can handle when it is empty 1.9 million cubic meters of water”

The Governor of Alexandria Mohamed al-Sherif stated the quantity of rainwater fell in this storm a bit “over” compared to past years.

Governor al-Sherif stated that the governorate spent already LE 1.3 billion for upgrading the sewage system in the city. 

Many Alexandrians, in fact, many Egyptians are wondering where that upgrade of that sewage system is now !??? Why was not there enough preparation? 

"A video from Smouha on Monday" 

#سموحه #الإسكندرية تغرق pic.twitter.com/r07q4qe49r

— Yah!a (@yahia911) November 22, 2021

Needless to say, true transparency and accountability would help us understand what happened to this upgrade.

I mean what could have happened if those LE 1.3 billion were not spent on upgrading the sewage system ?? which already needs to be separated from the rain drainage system to solve this problem !?

"This video below filmed in Sporting area showing its rainwater river and the surreal operation of saving money transferred to some bank in the area !!"

عربية البنك المركزى غرقت عند نادى سبورتنج وفيها ٥ مليون جنيه 😅😏 pic.twitter.com/fyOT7bvqu8

— Mivoo 👸vevaa (@mivo944) November 22, 2021

By the way, this happened when the government is speaking day and night about its achievement in upgrading the infrastructure to attract foreign direct investments.

Earlier this month at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference “COP26”, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “I can’t believe that I am quoting him” warned that a number of cities including Alexandria would disappear if the earth’s temperature continued to rise by four degrees which

Commenting on Johnson’s statement, the Alexandria governor spoke then about how rainfall and heavy rain increased every year since 2015 and the government has a plan to upgrade the sewage.

Governor and Major General Mohamed al-Sherif also stated that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi ordered the allocations of LE 1.3 billion for upgrading the sewage system in the city.

The governor thinks we are speaking about a global event to be treated with a sewage system and a couple of stone barriers at the Citadel area !!

"Another video near from Pharos University"

@amiragad20

##alexandria ##pharos ##fyp

♬ El ta3lem fo2 kol she2 - Yassin Elmahgoub

The disappearance of Alexandria and Egypt’s Northern coasts due to the increase of sea levels is not something new, we have been warned before but as usual, the government or the state give us different mixed and contradicting messages on how it is dealing with the matters, other than “inshallah it won’t happen”.

Hell, we got a whole valley in Egypt called Whale valley in Fayoum as living evidence on climate change. 

We are building already three megacities right by the Mediterranean sea including a city that hosts the country’s first nuclear power plant.

Needless to say, I have not forgotten that Egypt is going to host the upcoming COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh “Because Cairo will send a very wrong message when it comes to the environment” and again the government is giving mixed contradicting messages when it comes to important issues regarding climate and issues like deforestation.

I do not understand how we are going to host COP27 when thousands of trees were slaughtered in Cairo and Giza as well as other governorates because they are allegedly consuming too much water and it is better to turn their place into some fast food kiosk !!

Already Alexandria is witnessing huge deforestation in the famous Montazah Royal Gardens which was famous for its trees because of a new modernization plan that includes three hotels and many restaurants in once a dark green area !!! “Here is a video showing the Royal garden in the past”

If you are against deforestation then do not cut the trees in the country.

I feel depressed and sad as well as helpless when I see those images whether Alexandria’s streets drowning in rainwater or trees cut everywhere.

The thing is that I know this is the first time Alexandria drowns in rainwater like that this season.