Environmentally- Friendly Proposals for Coastal Stability at Rosetta Promontory, Nile Delta

Abstract

The Nile Delta Coast is a dynamic system which was in equilibrium or experienced huge amounts of sediment transported with the water discharges from Nile River to the Mediterranean Sea through the Nile branches. A remarkable decrease in the sediment discharges arises with the construction of barrages, low Aswan dam, and Aswan High Dam along the river since the beginning of the 20th century which trapped almost all the flood sediments in its storage basin. Consequently, the Nile Delta coastal zone has suffered from erosion, especially around the three main headlands, Rosetta, El Burullus, and Damietta. Erosion is not the only challenge facing the Delta coast, but also, siltation inside the inlets discharge to the sea. A calibrated depth-averaged model has been used to morphological changes around the nourishment area at Rosetta promontory, and testing the validity of some alternatives proposed to mitigate the outlet problems. Among these alternatives: diversion of side channel from the sea to the Nile River, and finally, the sand motor technique. The aim of this paper is to test different proposed alternatives and analyze it in terms of morph-dynamic processes to reach an applicable solution for the instability of the promontory.