Along the coastline of the commercial hub of Lagos, in Nigeria, communities are battling an ever-shrinking shoreline. Climate change and coastal development have both been blamed. DW's Olisa Chukwumah went to Apakin, where villagers fear extinction.

Lagos

Coastal communities in Lagos, Nigeria are experiencing significant losses due to coastal erosion and rising sea levels. Residents have seen their homes, farmland, and ancestral graves washed away, with some areas losing more than two meters of land each year. 

While local authorities attribute the problem to climate change and rising sea levels, environmentalists argue that government-backed commercial projects and illegal developments have exacerbated the situation. Authorities say more funding is needed to protect the coastline, but for many residents, the risks and losses continue to mount without urgent intervention.

Nigeria: Coastal erosion leaves entire communities at risk

This is all that remains of Adjaye Adewale's home. In June, ocean surges swept through the village of Apakin, washing away his family's home. All property, some property go with the sea because some happened in the midnight. I can't take anything. I was crying because the wound are still in my body now, the shock of the building in the midnight. It was the latest event to hit this coastal community. One of over a dozen in Lagos, facing the existential threats of rising waters and coastal erosion. Standing in the ruins of what used to be a home and facing what used to be a coconut plantation stretching 15 meters within this community, a major source of economic livelihood for many. All that has now been washed away alongside the ancestral graves. Residents here say nothing was spared and they've had to endure unbearable loss. In some areas, the ocean swallows more than two meters of land each year. Lagos authorities point to climate change and rising sea levels as the cause. But environmentalists say government-backed commercial projects like deep water ports and a new major refinery have made matters worse. The cumulative reduction in, I mean the rise in sea level vis-a-vis the topography of Lagos already tells us without being a prophet, that is pulling my head if we don't act. Local authorities say they need more funding to protect the coastline. They blame private illegal development for part of the erosion. In this case, I think it's ridiculous to not even know the amount of sand that's being dredged on a daily basis. And certainly some people are gaining, it's a heavy industry, so with people benefiting from those illegalities and we're saying no, we're not going to do that anymore. But for Ajaye and other members of Lagos' coastal communities, the risks they face from coastal erosion continue. They fear that without urgent action, they will lose their land to the sea.

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