The Nile River Delta in Egypt is facing hardships stemming from rising sea levels, which inundated the fertile fields, making them uncultivable
The Nile River Delta in Egypt is facing hardships stemming from rising sea levels, which inundated the fertile fields, making them uncultivable.
Farmers feel that the threat would spread to other parts of the river delta if urgent steps are not taken to address the problem. It may be recalled that the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has described the Nile Delta as one of the world’s three most vulnerable hotspots for climate change impacts, including rising sea levels.
Farmers are complaining that the soil now has high levels of salinity, where no traditional crops can grow. Some of them have changed the cropping pattern and started planning mango trees, which are more saline-resistant. Earlier, they used to cultivate tomatoes, watermelons, vegetables, and some field crops like beans.
Climate change has forced them to go for crops that will have a higher gestation period for getting yields. Many have had to shift to fruit trees as they are more resistant to the changes. Some farmers are cultivating rice crops of new seed varieties using different plantation methods that are more tolerant to salinity.
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The Nile Delta covers roughly 240 square kilometers and boasts of a large tract of fertile lands, enriched by liberal deposits of silt getting accumulated from the Nile River, as it traverses to submerge with the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile delta is highly populated, accounting for 40 percent of Egypt’s 104 million people. It accounts for half of the country’s economy. Farms and fisheries along the two Nile branches-Rosetta in the west and Damietta in the east-are known as grain baskets of Egypt. A good share of agricultural products from the delta are exported. The rising sea levels pose a grave problem to the area.
