West African Coastal Towns Swallowed by Ocean

West African Coastal¹ Towns Swallowed by Ocean

GRAND-LAHOU, IVORY COAST—

Rising sea levels and coastal erosion are threatening the homes and livelihoods² 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 lagoon³, 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 standing⁴. There used to be people living here. There used to be coconut⁵ 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 eroded⁶ the fence around the church and regularly fills the courtyard. At the cemetery⁷, the tombstones are slowly getting covered by sand.

Koffi says when the lagoon overflows⁸, 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 affected⁹.

Barthelemy Bamba is the director of the Center for Ocean Research in Abidjan, which does prevention, awareness¹⁰ work and advises the Ivorian government regarding the development of future infrastructure¹¹ 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.

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

3 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

6 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

7 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

8 overflows   

v.溢出，淹没( overflow的第三人称单数 )；充满；挤满了人；扩展出界，过度延伸

参考例句：

• He always fills his glass till it overflows. 他总是把杯子斟得很满。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A distributary overflows its banks. 分流水溢出河岸。 来自辞典例句

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。