The massive preparations being made to host the COP27 United Nations Climate Change Conference in the tourist town of Sharm El Sheikh are having an impact all over Egypt. El Qula’an, a modest settlement on the western coast of the Red Sea, has recently been transformed into a model of a fully sustainable village. The governorate is essentially being built up as a proof of concept for a greener future in Egypt and other nations like it.
El Qula’an is an experiment in adopting gradual sustainable changes without hurting its natural surroundings. It is situated in Marsa Alam, a Red Sea town renowned for its surf-friendly shores and stunning mangrove woods. Because it is nestled These worries are particularly important in Marsa Alam’s Wadi El Gamal Nature Reserve because the reserve’s mangrove forests are essential to the area’s ecological balance and act as a stopover for migratory birds.
The town is fueled almost entirely by a solar power plant thanks to collaboration between the Red Sea Reserves and the Red Sea Governorate. The new water desalination plant can run on the same power source and generate 10 square kilometres of water daily. Additionally, 14 wooden cottages have been built within the community, each one modelled after the dwellings of the nearby Ababda tribe, nomads who travel between Egypt and Sudan. Last but not least, the hamlet has an outlet for leather goods and handmade goods at the Abu Ghosoun workshop, in hopes of further attracting ecotourism into the area.
