Author(s)

A. Nayer, M. M. Abouhassan

Abstract

Considered to be a major strategic imperative of Alexandria City, Lake Mariout is heavily polluted and suffers from eutrophication due to discharges from drains carrying industrial and municipal waste leading to destruction of fish species. The current status is decreased quality, limited non-commercial food source to local residents. As a result, the lake would need large quantities of freshwater inflow to recover its ecology, the consensus is that this lake will continue the salinization process and eventually lose most of its natural resources.

The research presents an assessment of the built environment that surrounds Lake Mariout in terms of economic importance, environmental impacts to enable further sustainable prospects of future development.

The primary objectives of this paper is to highlight the main problems, exposed to the region of Lake Mariout and provides an overall analysis of sustainability aspects for the region. The results will be presented within a holistic approach for urban and economic development plan including environmental protection for the biosphere region. Therefore, an environmental impact assessment will contribute to rearticulating human behavior and activities relevant to adopted strategies for sustainable development.

Keywords

sustainability assessment, built environment, sustainable development, Lake Mariout, environmental impacts