The seaside city of Port-Bouët derrière Wharf, Ivory Coast, was hit by high waves in the night of 30 August 2011. The devastating waves left many homeless. The town south of Abidjan, which faces systematic annihilation by the rising water level, is desperately awaiting aid from the Ivorian government.

By Selay Marius Kouassi, Port-Bouët derrière Wharf

Hundreds of homes destroyed over several kilometres, children playing in the midst of the rubbles and scattered fishing boats and nets. That was the horrific scene in Port-Bouët derrière Wharf after the hair-raising events of the night of August 30 - events that took everyone by surprise.

Sudden disaster
“The sea had been consistently closing in on our homes, gaining approximately one hundred metres in the last few decades,” says Roger Assiri, an entrepreneur and resident of Port-Bouët derrière Wharf.

“However, that night, the water rose in an unprecedented manner, leaving behind a trail of devastation.”
Assiri recalls that, a few years back, the land that is now being washed over by the waves used to be a playing ground for him and his friends during the day, and a romantic meeting place for couples after sunset. Today, that place only exists in his memories.

Internally displaced
Like Koula Zrama, who had to move with his family to his friend’s house, very few residents of Port-Bouët derrière Wharf were prepared for the extreme events. Zrama and his wife have not only lost their home, they also lost their source of income.

“We used to live essentially from our fishing activities,” says Zrama. “We used to go out fishing in deep waters, usually at night. We would bring back the fish we caught to our wives, who would then sell them on the Port-Bouët market or in Abidjan. We depend on the sea.” Zrama sees himself as “an internally displaced person, a climate refugee.”

Make-shift protection walls
In the absence of a governmental policy for relocation or construction of a protection wall, the Port-Bouët derrière Wharf residents are bracing themselves for even worse times. They built their own protection wall made of used tyres and garbage.

The tyres are filled up with garbage and are piled up around the homes adjacent to the seashore. While the tyres might hold weeks or even months, the garbage is usually washed away the very night after it has been put there.

Climate change: a reality
Assiri used to think that “the theories on climate change and the rising water levels were nothing more than empty slogans.” His perception of the issue has changed since August this year.

“After the sudden rise of water levels and the rapid destruction of some of the houses here in Port-Bouët derrière Wharf, one can no longer deny the reality of climate change." 

"We should now focus our efforts on finding practical responses to the consequences. And the silence and lethargy of our politicians and decision makers are quite saddening,” says Assiri.

The expected disappearance of Port-Bouët derrière Wharf from the map certainly constitutes one of the more spectacular consequences of climate change. But the impact on the livelihood of people is even more alarming.