Amid the impact of climate change and urban decay, Egypt’s ancient city of Alexandria, once the capital of the Hellenistic world, is increasingly at risk from the rising waters of the Mediterranean.
Steeped in antiquity and now Egypt’s second-largest city, Alexandria is facing an existential threat.
A combination of climate change, coastal erosion, and unchecked urban expansion is putting the city—founded by Alexander the Great—on a slow, perilous path toward submersion.
According to local authorities, more than 25,000 buildings have been classified as being at risk of collapse, with several hundred located in areas especially vulnerable to seawater infiltration. In recent years, at least 85 people have died following the collapse of structurally compromised buildings—many of them constructed on unstable ground or weakened by persistent humidity. The Mediterranean Sea is rising at a rate of approximately three millimeters per year, accelerating saltwater intrusion into aquifers and undermining the foundations of waterfront buildings.
Long overlooked in Egypt’s climate adaptation strategies, Alexandria has now become a focal point of concern for both experts and residents. Coastal defenses, built decades ago, are no longer adequate in the face of new environmental realities. Meanwhile, the city’s rapid and often chaotic urban sprawl has worsened its vulnerability.
With nearly six million inhabitants, Alexandria is struggling to cope with the mounting risks.
The Egyptian government says it has launched several initiatives to reinforce seawalls and restore aging buildings, with support from the World Bank. However, many residents complain of official inaction, a lack of enforcement against illegal construction, and bureaucratic delays that stall urgently needed interventions.
With its millennia-old heritage and strategic port, Alexandria illustrates a growing dilemma across the region: how to safeguard historic coastal cities while preparing millions of residents for an increasingly uncertain future.
Without sweeping and coordinated action, Alexandria could become one of the first major Mediterranean metropolises to suffer the direct and irreversible impacts of climate disruption.
MK/te/sf/lb/as/APA