Name of City/municipality: Marsa Alam
Population: 10000 (2019)
Area:
Marsa Alam is a town in south-eastern Egypt. It is located on the western shore of the Red sea and 270 km south of Hurghada. The town rises 60 m above the sea level.
Name of Mayor: H.E. General Amr Mohamed Hanafy Mahmoud
Contact: redseatameer@gmail.com
Website: http://www.redsea.gov.eg/IntoPage.aspx
Main features:
Among the most famous beaches around Marsa Alam is the Abu Dabab beach. where turtles are a common sight. Marsa Alam is also known as the world-class kitesurfing destination and perfect starting point to safaris.
Main economic activities:
The tourism sector is of high importance in Marsa Alam specially since the opening of its international airport in 2001 where Marsa Alam has become a great Red Sea destination for diving enthusiasts and thus stimulating from another side the commercial sector. Besides tourism, the industrial sector plays an important role where in the south of the town, Al Sukkari gold mine, a marble production quarry, and quarries for stones and sand also contribute in generating the revenues of the local economy. Moreover, fishing is a common activity in the locality where many of its inhabitants live from the sea. That being mentioned, Nestled between sea and desert, the town offers all kinds of accommodations ranging from upscale comfort establishments with complete Western amenities to Bedouin-inspired eco-lodges. There are 56 hotels operating in the north and south of the administrative borders of the town with staff from all over the Republic as well as creating job opportunities for young people. Concerning the industrial sector, in the south of the town, there are Al Sukkari gold mine, a marble production quarry, and quarries for stones and sand. There are also shops within the city where young people work. For the agricultural sector, Marsa Alam is a desert town with no cultivation activities at all. However, citizens rear few animals such as cattle and goats that find pastures in the valleys and water in the desert wells.
Conditions and environmental challenges:
In Marsa Alam, the inhabitants benefits from basic service such as electricity provided from a solar power station and two diesel generators, water and drinking water covering 80% of the households from desalination plants due to the lack of natural sources and road networks. Actually a triple ewage treatment station is under construction and will be used for the irrigation of the city’s streets. are mainly fishermen, and keep sheep, goats and dromedaries. Some work in few mines, marble and granite quarries or in the hotels. The electricity is supplied to the city by a 6-megawatt solar power station, running all over the year and by two diesel generators of 5-megawatt each and two diesel generators of 3.3- megawatt each. Regarding the water use, the drinking water in the city is supplied to the citizens from three desalination plants that produce 3000 m3 per day. The city’s network covers about 80% of the housing units. Furthermore, as regards to the irrigation, a triple sewage treatment station in the city is under construction and will be used for the irrigation in the city streets. This being said, Marsa Alam can be considered as a city benefiting from good infrastructure however facing some climatic risks like water scarcity, droughts and extreme heat.