Population increases, together with rural and urban activities, directly affect the availability and quality of natural resources, but also induce secondary effects that must be evaluated from a regional view (Sekhar, 2005; Ayad, 2005).
Moreover, substantial changes are taking place in the coastal landscape as a result of rapid urbanization. A
series of environmental and resource problems have emerged owing to rapid urban development, including
encroachment of agricultural land, land reclamation, silt deposition in rivers and severe flooding.