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10 images Created 12 Feb 2011

Three Miles from the Sea

Coastal and riverine erosion are not new phenomena on the Ghana coast. However, the pace of change has accelerated drastically in recent years, sweeping away homes and livelihoods and, according to some experts, foreshadowing the fate of many of West Africa’s coastal capitals as sea levels continue to rise.

I first visited Totope, a small fishing village 100km east of Ghana’s capital, Accra, in 2004. At the time there was no talk of climate change, coastal erosion or the threat of being swallowed by the sea – villagers spoke of clean drinking water as their most pressing need. When I returned six years later, clean water was available, but the village had all but disappeared beneath the waves. An elder told me, "We were once three miles from the sea."
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  • "We were once three miles from the sea."<br />
<br />
The fishing village of Totope, near Ada, Ghana, pictured on 9 March 2010, is disappearing as the encroaching sea and worsening coastal erosion bury villagers' homes in sand. Trapped between the sea and a lagoon, the village has nowhere to go.
    climate_change_01_DSC_1601.jpg
  • Seven year-old Collins Kusietey in the remains of a house destroyed by the encroaching sea in Totope, Ghana on 7 March 2010. According to locals, this was a habitable dwelling as little as three years ago.
    climate_change_02_DSC_1231.jpg
  • Tekpe Hongah, a resident of Totope, a fishing village nearAda, Ghana, is pictured atop his home that is rapidly disappearing beneath the sand as the sea encroaches on the village. He has been forced to evacuate the house and move in with relatives. 7 March 2010
    climate_change_03_DSC_1224.jpg
  • Every morning the women of Totope, a village near Ada in Ghana, sweep the beach and bury the rubbish that has been swept down the coast overnight from the cities of Accra and Tema. As the sea continues to advance on the village it periodically buries homes in sand and garbage. 9 March 2010.
    climate_change_04_DSC_1616.jpg
  • Numour Puplampo in the  ruins of his home, which has been destroyed by the encroaching sea. Totope, Ghana, 23 February 2011.
    climate_change_05_DSC4310.jpg
  • Torgborfio Obodai, a schoolboy from Totope, a fishing village near Ada, Ghana, stands by a house that is being claimed by the sea on 7 March 2010.
    climate_change_06_DSC_1273.jpg
  • Anikor Adjawutor and Miyorhokpor Anikor's Azizakpe home has been destroyed by the sea. It is in a location that was once more than 100m from the water's edge, but that now floods monthly.
    climate_change_07_DSC_1091.jpg
  • Hannah Abayateye and her son, Junior, seated atop the remains of their traditional family home in Akplabanya, Ghana on 23 February 2011.
    climate_change_08_DSC4374.jpg
  • Paulina Dzimado in the remains of her family's traditional home, which has been destroyed by the rising sea. Lolonyakope, Ghana 24 February 2011.
    climate_change_09_DSC4437.jpg
  • A family stands in a flooded thoroughfare in the village of Azizanya, near Ada, Ghana on 2 April 2010.  The village floods with filth-laden water every two weeks when tides are highest.
    climate_change_10_DSC_3592.jpg