U.S. Water News Online
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- A Swedish consulting company said it has received an order to supervise a U.S.-led project aimed at rescuing the ancient temples of Luxor and Karnak in southern Egypt from rising groundwater.
The project, worth about $687,000 is scheduled to start in 2005, said SWECO, a Stockholm-based engineering and environmental technology company.
The temples of Luxor and Karnak, dating from 2000-1500 B.C, are among Egypt's most significant cultural treasures and are included on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The bases of the temples are eroding as a result of rising groundwater, which causes water with a high salt content to be absorbed by the foundations.
As the water evaporates, the salt in it crystalizes and disintegrates the porous sandstone used to build the temples.
"We have previously found solutions that can save the temples and lower the groundwater. Now we will supervise activities to ensure that mitigation measures are implemented correctly when work is started,'' said project manager Anna-Jeanette Larnelius Loew.
The project is being done through the U.S. Agency for International Development and SWECO's contract is being done on behalf of SIDA, the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency.
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