West African Coastal Towns Swallowed by Ocean

West African Coastal 1 Towns Swallowed by Ocean

GRAND-LAHOU, IVORY COAST—

Rising sea levels and coastal erosion are threatening the homes and livelihoods 2 of hundreds of thousands of people across West Africa. Grand-Lahou, an Ivorian tourist destination, is slowly being washed away.

The waves are swallowing the coastline of Grand-Lahou’s old town, located about 100 kilometers west of Abidjan, at a pace of one to two meters a year.

Eugène Koffi has spent his entire life on this shrinking patch of land between sea and lagoon 3, called Lahou-Kpanda. 

The sea used to be back there, two kilometers away, said Koffi, pointing his finger at the horizon. Today, it comes up to just a few meters away from where he is standing 4. There used to be people living here. There used to be coconut 5 trees.

Coastal erosion is a natural phenomenon, but experts say human activity has accelerated it. And with global warming, sea levels are rising around the world. Here in Grand-Lahou, nearby government dams, as well as the local practice of taking sand to build houses, also have hurt.

Many colonial buildings dating from the early 20th century have washed away. The water has eroded 6 the fence around the church and regularly fills the courtyard. At the cemetery 7, the tombstones are slowly getting covered by sand.

Koffi says when the lagoon overflows 8, flooding spreads. Many houses have been abandoned along the coast, and residents have moved inland. 

But Koffi insists the place has potential and must be saved.

A few thousand fishermen also soldier on here, but making a living has become harder. 

Issouan is working on his fishing net by his boat. 

The river mouth is stuck in the sand. We can’t cross with the boat, he says. 

Biodiversity also is affected 9.

Barthelemy Bamba is the director of the Center for Ocean Research in Abidjan, which does prevention, awareness 10 work and advises the Ivorian government regarding the development of future infrastructure 11 like coastal roads. 

Bamba says that in the lagoon, there were mangroves that grow in saline water. So when the river mouth is closed, the lagoon basically becomes fresh water and the mangroves die off. But mangroves are key for biodiversity. If they die, it’s basically the end of the fishery, he says.

The fishermen say the government could help by removing the sand from the river mouth, but experts say the rising sea level is irreversible and the population ultimately will be pushed inland. 

It’s a problem along much of West Africa’s coast, and the consequences could be serious. One-third of the region’s people live by the sea, and coastal zones contribute about half of the regional GDP.