Latest news with #coastalerosion
Japan Times
a day ago
- Science
- Japan Times
Rising seas and shifting sands attack ancient Alexandria from below
From her ninth-floor balcony over Alexandria's seafront, Eman Mabrouk looked down at the strip of sand that used to be the wide beach where she played as a child. "The picture is completely different now," she said. The sea has crept closer, the concrete barriers have got longer and the buildings around her have cracked and shifted. Every year, 40 of them collapse across Egypt's second city, up from one on average a decade ago, a study shows. The storied settlement that survived everything from bombardment by the British in the 1880s to attacks by crusaders in the 1160s is succumbing to a subtler foe infiltrating its foundations. The warming waters of the Mediterranean are rising, part of a global phenomenon driven by climate change. In Alexandria, that is leading to coastal erosion and sending saltwater seeping through the sandy substrate, undermining buildings from below, researchers say. "This is why we see the buildings in Alexandria being eroded from the bottom up," said Essam Heggy, a water scientist at the University of Southern California who co-wrote a study published in February describing a growing crisis in Alexandria and along the whole coast. The combination of continuous seawater rises, ground subsidence and coastal erosion means Alexandria's coastline has receded an average of 3.5 meters a year over the last 20 years, he said. Eman Mabrouk, 50, stands on her ninth-floor balcony overlooking Alexandria's corniche, in Alexandria, on April 19. | REUTERS "For many people who see that climatic change is something that will happen in the future and we don't need to worry about it, it's actually happening right now, right here," Heggy said. The situation is alarming enough when set out in the report — "Soaring Building Collapses in Southern Mediterranean Coasts" in the journal "Earth's Future". For Mabrouk, 50, it has been part of day-to-day life for years. She had to leave her last apartment when the building started moving. "It eventually got slanted. I mean, after two years, we were all ... leaning," she said. "If you put something on the table, you would feel like it was rolling." Egypt's government has acknowledged the problem and promised action. Submerged breakwaters reduce coastal wave action and truckloads of sand replenish stripped beaches. Nine concrete sea barriers have been set up "to protect the delta and Alexandria from the impact of rising sea waves," Alexandria's governor, Ahmed Khaled Hassan, said. The barriers stretch out to sea, piles of striking geometric shapes, their clear curves and lines standing out against the crumbling, flaking apartment blocks on the land. Authorities are trying to get in ahead of the collapses by demolishing buildings at risk. Around 7,500 were marked for destruction and 55,000 new housing units will be built, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told a crowd as he stood on one of the concrete barriers on July 14. "There isn't a day that passes without a partial or complete collapse of at least one building that already had a demolition order," Madbouly said. A man fishes by the Mediterranean city of Alexandria on April 20. Sea levels are rising across the world, but they are rising faster in the Mediterranean than in many other bodies of water due partly to the relative shallowness of its basin. | REUTERS Some are hopeful the measures can make a difference. "There are no dangers now ... They have made their calculations," coffee shop owner Shady Mostafa said as he watched builders working on one of the barriers. Others are less sure. Alexandria's 70-kilometer-long coastal zone was marked down as the most vulnerable in the whole Mediterranean basin in the February report. Around 2% of the city's housing stock — or about 7,000 buildings — were probably unsafe, it added. Every day, more people are pouring into the city — Alexandria's population has nearly doubled to about 5.8 million in the last 25 years, swollen by workers and tourists, according to Egypt's statistics agency, CAPMAS. Property prices keep going up, despite all the risks, trackers show. Sea levels are rising across the world, but they are rising faster in the Mediterranean than in many other bodies of water, partly because the relative shallowness of its basin makes it warm up faster. The causes may be global, but the impacts are local, said 26-year-old Alexandria resident Ahmed al-Ashry. "There's a change in the buildings, there's a change in the streets," he said. "Every now and then we try to renovate the buildings, and in less than a month, the renovations start to fall apart. Our neighbours have started saying the same thing, that cracks have started to appear."
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Local council removes £1million cliffside beach huts at risk of falling into the sea
Work is underway to remove more than £1million worth of cliffside beach huts that are at risk of falling into the sea. The 43 wooden cabins huts at Hordle Cliff, Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire, were 'abandoned' to the elements by the local council after officials decided against shoring up sea defences. The huts, that are worth about £25,000 each, were battered by winter storms and left either badly damaged or at risk of falling into the sea. As it is not possible to take out insurance on the huts the owners have been left out of pocket. And to add insult to injury they are being asked to contribute for the work to remove them which requires machinery to winch them up and take them away. While people own the huts, they pay the council as land owner a licence of about £800 a year. This fee will be used to cover the costs of the removal work and those who were due a refund will have £300 taken out of it. Owners blame New Forest District Council's 'do nothing' approach to coastal erosion for the loss of their beloved huts. James and Helena Cox bought their hut in 2002. It has been deemed 'at risk' by the council and they were only told it would be removed in May. Mr Cox, a naval architect, had used his expertise to make his hut more secure from being battered by storms. He said: 'My family and myself are disappointed to lose it, although we were not surprised given the council's aversion to manage risk and general lack or will to find a workable solution. 'My hut wasn't damaged, or particularly at risk in my judgement. I deal with designing structures to survive environmental loading on a daily basis so I'm perfectly qualified to make this assessment' He said he secured his hut by driving galvanised scaffold poles into the shingle at each corner and secured them to the base of his hut. He also installed diagonal braces to resist wind and breaking waves. 'Since losing my original hut in the Valentines storm of 2014, I have not sustained any notable damage,' he added. 'Securing a beach hut to withstand storm force winds and waves overtopping the sea wall is simply an engineering problem, and not a particularly difficult one. 'The real reason our licences were revoked is because the council are risk averse and simply lack the will to manage the risks. 'They should have allowed the owners of huts inland of the sea wall to keep their huts at their own risk, while advising a basic level of securing the huts to the beach. 'I can deal with the storms, it was always NFDC I worried about.' Paul Major, of the New Forest Beach Hut Owner's Association, said: 'Having been in that situation, it is a massive loss, some owners have had their huts through the generations. 'There is nothing that can be done about saving the huts at Hordle Cliff. The toe of the cliff has been eroded away by the constant battering of the fierce seas'. Major explained that the cliff has become further unstable with the amount of rain that has soaked into the face and then been dried by the hot weather. 'There is nothing that can be done to halt the force of nature,' he said. 'There was requests made to the council over the years to permit some sort of sea defence and these have all been denied due to the policy within its Shoreline Management Plan.' Jeanie Medd and her sister Valerie Webb shared their hut which they inherited from their mother Freda Doe. It had been in the family for at least 40 years, but was damaged in Storm Herminia in January this year. She said: 'It was a hub for my family, it represents being with my mum. It is the end of an era really. 'It was really badly damaged in Storm Herminia - all the contents went, the door got washed off, it was horrible. As it is not possible to take out insurance on the huts the owners have been left out of pocket 'I was absolutely devastated. We had a close shave last year and patched it up but we knew it was on borrowed time. 'We've got used to the idea it was being removed now. We have been going down and sitting in the three walls that are left. And once they've removed it we will still go to that bit of beach'. Medd said she received a refund for the months after it was damaged but the cost of removal was deducted from the sum. 'We tried to do it ourselves but it was just impossible,' she added. 'I know there was a lot of people complaining, but I don't blame the council. We always knew this was a possibility.' The latest removal work comes after 31 huts were taken away from the same beach in June last year. New Forest District Council said it has no statutory duty to undertake coastal erosion risk management measures at any coastal site. The section at Hordle Cliff is undefended and any measures introduced would only slow, not stop erosion and would cost about £4million. The estimated costs for the wider frontage from Hordle Cliff to Milford-on-Sea would be about £22milliom. The council also said Storm Herminia in January this year was believed to be the strongest to hit the UK in at least ten years, causing a lot of erosion and cliff destabilisation. Geoffrey Blunden, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability at New Forest District Council, said: 'We have every sympathy with those who have experienced impacts at this very challenging coastal area and have actively engaged with hut owners and the New Forest Beach Hut Owners Association. 'Beach erosion and cliff movement caused by winter storms has damaged some beach huts and caused others at the eastern end of Hordle Cliff to be at greater risk from future storms. 'We advise anyone considering buying a beach hut or other asset on, or close to, the coast to consider the risk before purchasing. People are welcome to contact our coastal team to understand the risks.'
Reuters
7 days ago
- Science
- Reuters
Rising seas and shifting sands attack ancient Alexandria from below
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, July 23 (Reuters) - From her ninth-floor balcony over Alexandria's seafront, Eman Mabrouk looked down at the strip of sand that used to be the wide beach where she played as a child. "The picture is completely different now," she said. The sea has crept closer, the concrete barriers have got longer and the buildings around her have cracked and shifted. Every year 40 of them collapse across Egypt's second city, up from one on average a decade ago, a study shows. The storied settlement that survived everything from bombardment by the British in the 1880s to attacks by crusaders in the 1160s is succumbing to a subtler foe infiltrating its foundations. The warming waters of the Mediterranean are rising, part of a global phenomenon driven by climate change. In Alexandria, that is leading to coastal erosion and sending saltwater seeping through the sandy substrate, undermining buildings from below, researchers say. "This is why we see the buildings in Alexandria being eroded from the bottom up," said Essam Heggy, a water scientist at the University of Southern California who co-wrote the study published in February describing a growing crisis in Alexandria and along the whole coast. The combination of continuous seawater rises, ground subsidence and coastal erosion means Alexandria's coastline has receded on average 3.5 metres a year over the last 20 years, he told Reuters. 'For many people who see that climatic change is something that will happen in the future and we don't need to worry about it, it's actually happening right now, right here," Heggy said. The situation is alarming enough when set out in the report - "Soaring Building Collapses in Southern Mediterranean Coasts" in the journal "Earth's Future". For Mabrouk, 50, it has been part of day-to-day life for years. She had to leave her last apartment when the building started moving. "It eventually got slanted. I mean, after two years, we were all ... leaning," she told Reuters. "If you put something on the table, you would feel like it was rolling." Egypt's government has acknowledged the problem and promised action. Submerged breakwaters reduce coastal wave action and truckloads of sand replenish stripped beaches. Nine concrete sea barriers have been set up "to protect the delta and Alexandria from the impact of rising sea waves," Alexandria's governor, Ahmed Khaled Hassan, said. The barriers stretch out to sea, piles of striking geometric shapes, their clear curves and lines standing out against the crumbling, flaking apartment blocks on the land. Authorities are trying to get in ahead of the collapses by demolishing buildings at risk. Around 7,500 were marked for destruction and 55,000 new housing units will be built, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told a crowd as he stood on one of the concrete barriers on July 14. "There isn't a day that passes without a partial or complete collapse of at least one building that already had a demolition order," Madbouly said. Some are hopeful the measures can make a difference. "There are no dangers now ... They have made their calculations," coffee shop owner Shady Mostafa said as he watched builders working on one of the barriers. Others are less sure. Alexandria's 70-km (45-mile) long coastal zone was marked down as the most vulnerable in the whole Mediterranean basin in the February report. Around 2% of the city's housing stock – or about 7,000 buildings – were probably unsafe, it added. Every day, more people are pouring into the city - Alexandria's population has nearly doubled to about 5.8 million in the last 25 years, swollen by workers and tourists, according to Egypt's statistics agency CAPMAS. Property prices keep going up, despite all the risks, trackers show. Sea levels are rising across the world, but they are rising faster in the Mediterranean than in many other bodies of water, partly because the relative shallowness of its sea basin means it is warming up faster. The causes may be global, but the impacts are local, said 26-year-old Alexandria resident Ahmed al-Ashry. "There's a change in the buildings, there's a change in the streets," he told Reuters. "Every now and then we try to renovate the buildings, and in less than a month, the renovations start to fall apart. Our neighbours have started saying the same thing, that cracks have started to appear."
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Climate change could spell the end for beaches at European hot-spot
& Suman Naishadham Coastal erosion is severely impacting Montgat, a town north of Barcelona, threatening its beaches and summer tourism. The erosion is primarily caused by climate change, leading to more intense storms and significant sea level rise. Man-made beaches, developed for tourism after the 1992 Olympics, are eroding at an accelerated rate compared to natural coastlines. Authorities recognise that simply replenishing sand is insufficient, advocating for structural solutions like breakwaters to prevent further loss. Scientists report that sea levels along the Catalan coast are four times higher than three decades ago, with an estimated 60 million euros needed to stabilise the metropolitan coastline.
ABC News
20-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Unauthorised Frankston seawall work continues on beachfront despite stop work order
The owner of a beachfront mansion who was ordered to stop building a concrete retaining wall on a Frankston South beach has continued to oversee building works, telling the ABC he would welcome a legal challenge from the council or state government. In March, Frankston Council issued businessman Gene Neill a stop work order for construction of the seawall on a rocky section of beach near Olivers Hill. Mr Neill conceded he did not have a permit. At the time, he described the construction as "emergency works" to protect his $9 million property from coastal erosion and landslides, after being refused insurance. But after a public outcry, Mr Neill told the ABC he had met with the council and offered to "pull down what's there on the foreshore". "We've already offered to reinstate it, back to the way it was," he said in March. But when the ABC visited three months on, the finished concrete wall stood about 1.5m above the shore. "I'm not taking it down," Mr Neill said, pointing out he had just had a delivery of large rocks as part of landscaping works, and inviting the ABC to return when the project was finished. "It's just common sense." Mr Neill admitted the construction could lead to legal action. "I want them to bring it on," he said. "I've got the money." He had previously denied the wall was on public land. Mr Neill also said had sold the property with settlement due in 11 months, which the ABC has not been able to verify. Frankston Council was scheduled to discuss the issue of how to enforce the stop-work order at its coming meeting, but that part of the meeting will be closed to the public. State Labor MP Paul Edbrooke said Frankston was better off without the wall. "It's giving the middle finger to the people of Frankston," Mr Edbrooke said. "This is a wall that has been built around four metres onto Frankston's public beach and people can't even walk past this wall at high tide." He said it was up to Mr Neill to remove it. "I'm not a lawyer, but I think that wall will not be there soon," he said. "That wall will have to come down and I think the owner that built it will be the one responsible." A spokesperson for the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action said it had not approved any privately funded seawalls on coastal Crown land at Olivers Hill. "Frankston South beach is public land and should be accessible to all Victorians," they said. Noel Payz walks her dogs on the beach where the seawall is most days, stopping regularly to pick up rubbish. She said erosion was a big concern. "It's got really bad along this beach the past 10 years — bit by bit it's all slipping away," Ms Payz said. She had written to the council asking what would happen with the seawall, but said she had not heard back. She said the council should either assume responsibility for protecting assets like homes from erosion, or negotiate with owners who were prepared to do the works. "I shudder to think how many houses that are built along the coast will be in danger at some point in time." Erosion and landslips are a growing concern along Victoria's coast, especially in built-up areas. In January, a landslip in nearby McCrae caused a $2 million home to crash down the hill, leaving residents of 19 homes unable to return to their properties. Frankston council is developing a plan to identify and manage coastal risks. "Coastal hazards such as erosion and storm surge have always been present, however, these coastal hazards may worsen as a result of a changing climate," the council said on its website.
