Egyptian environmental activists are fighting a plan to build a bridge from Sinai to Saudi Arabia

More than 20 coral reefs, nature reserves on Tiran and Sanfir islands and countless animals and plants in danger of extinction are expected to be damaged as a result of the project, while those who will benefit from it will be the large corporations and not the residents of Sinai

A bridge across stormy waters is planned to connect Saudi Arabia with Sinai, causing the destruction of 20 diving sites. This is what Egyptian environmental activists told the Green Prophet website.

Environmental activist groups continue to pressure the Egyptian government to cancel the plan to develop and build a bridge that would link the Sinai Peninsula with Saudi Arabia. The bridge, promoted by the Egyptian government, aims to increase trade, business and facilitate movement between the two countries. The environmental activists fear that the construction of the bridge over the Ras Mohammed National Park - one of Egypt's great natural wonders - will damage many coral reefs, diving sites and species of animals and plants that are already in danger of extinction.

"If they build the bridge, coral reefs, endangered species and at least 22 diving sites will disappear," says Ibrahim Muhammad, an activist in the group opposing the IBRedSea bridge to the Green Prophet website. The bridge will also cause the destruction of the two famous islands (from the song Sharm el-Sheikh) Tiran and Sanfir, which are also considered a protected nature reserve. where one of the consequences will be the elimination of life in their immediate environment.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, during his visit to Saudi Arabia in July 2012, spoke specifically with King Abdullah about the project, which costs 3 billion dollars, and which economists and government officials confirmed to the Green Prophet website that it is in advanced stages.

Ironically, another IBRedSea activist, Ahmed Abdel Razoul, says that despite the experts' warnings about the damage to the bridge on the two islands located in the national nature reserve, no environmental studies have been done, and such studies have not even started, by the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment.

"They avoid doing any research on the environmental effects of the bridge because they don't want to understand what will happen." says Razol. "They did not carry out any environmental research and when you ask the people of the ministry they say they have no idea."

Although the bridge may damage sensitive ecological niches and disrupt the movement of fish, dolphins and birds, the government in Cairo sees the bridge as a way to inject funds into the faltering Egyptian economy, which has been severely damaged since the January 2011 riots and the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's government.

However, Muhammad and Razoul believe that by starting an international campaign against the bridge project and obliging the government to conduct studies about the bridge's effect on the natural environment, they will be able to put pressure on Cairo to stop the project before it affects the residents of Sinai and tourism.

Both activists agree that in order to succeed they must get the local communities on their side and they have already begun this aspect of the campaign. When they spoke to the Bedouin leaders and tourism operators to inform them about the project and how it would affect their income and lifestyle.
"We must help the locals in the development of Sinai" says Razoul, who added that those who will benefit from the bridge despite the government's promises will be the big companies and not the local communities."

Currently, the bridge planned to connect Egypt and Saudi Arabia remains in advanced planning, and both governments insist on not listening to environmental activists who want to preserve the natural beauty of the Red Sea.

For information on the Green Prophet website