280218_Luxor-Egypt SECAP Final_revised

Alert / Communication / Education
Developing an early warning system: to alert citizens in case part of the infrastructure has been
severely damaged, and citizens should avoid using it or even possibly preparing for a major disaster.
Educational and awareness raising campaigns: Developing guidance and advice for citizens on how to
save water and energy, especially during climate crisis. This should be embedded in the different
awareness messages developed as part of the campaigns to promote energy conservation and
efficiency measures.
Technical measures
Establish underground water reservoirs and develop a flood control system. Reservoirs are necessary
to retain water in case of heavy rains. Such reservoirs should be located in strategic areas where water
gets channelled. Reservoir will retain water and avoid dramatic run off that could cause adverse
impacts to the built environment downstream. Such reservoirs should be part of a flood control system
that will monitor the Nile river level and occurrence of heavy rain.
Upgrade of riverside defence systems near potentially affected facilities and conduct potential
re-engineering to increase the height of docksides. This could be done along the plan to reorganize
docksides and install solar PV, as mentioned in this SECAP Section III (refer to part 4.2.2 – Tourism
sector, page 42).
7.3. Land planning and building management
Strategic
Modify the building codes to promote more energy efficient and heat tolerant structures. Upper Egypt
has been the place where very efficient building techniques has been developed in the old times. The
Nubian Vault is one these techniques only requiring mud and clay (no cement, no wood, and no iron)
to elaborate on buildings that are particularly well adapted to hot regions. This technic has been reactive
by some architects and researchers, but also by a French NGO “Association voûte nubienne” 59 .
More than 3000 buildings were produced in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Benin)
offering very qualitative results at an affordable cost. The City of Luxor could develop a set of buildings
using this technique in demonstrative districts and valuing this resurgence of a building method
invented in Upper Egypt 3500 years ago.
Set up incentives for innovative climate friendly buildings. This could be done, for example, through
the provision of reductions on the municipal taxes for those proceeding in adoption of adaptation
measures in their houses.
Develop an integrated land use planning with zoning system depending on the different areas
exposed to risk, dedicated to protection infrastructures or areas, and/or to innovative building
methods. This land planning should take into account the three most important element of pressure
that combines in the City of Luxor: growing urbanisation, tourism around heritage sites, requirement
59
www.lavoutenubienne.org/en
117