Four Watermaster dredgers have been brought from Finland to improve the environmental condition of the Northern Lakes (lagoons) of Egypt.
The Nile Delta estuarine with its wetlands, lakes and lagoons forms a transitional water purification and protective zone before the Mediterranean Sea. This zone is a productive agricultural and aquacultural area, as well as an important sink of nutrients, heavy metals and agro-chemicals.
High population growth and population pressure on the scarce inhabitable land of Egypt with increasing agriculture and industrialization have resulted in pollution of drains and subsequently the lagoons.
Lake Manzala is the largest of the lakes and produces the most fish. The size of the lake is about 52 611 hectares. The Lake is shallow with half of the lake being only 0,5-1,00m deep. There are three outlets between Lake Manzala and the Mediterranean sea.
The overall objective of the dredging project is improved environmental status of Lake Manzala. This would result in a significant increase in sustainable fish production thus supporting the livelihood of the local population.
The project has three results areas:
1. Dredging operations planned according to standards and environmentally friendly practices;
2. Water circulation, temperature, salinity and suspended solids 3D model applied and, based on it, guidelines for sustainable dredging prepared;
3. Plan for Lake Manzala joint operational monitoring and data management system and recommendations for its implementation prepared.