The rising sea water in Senegal is about to engulf Africa's Venice

Coastal erosion due to climate change in Senegal is shrinking the shores of the historic city of Saint-Louis day by day.

In addition to the continent's specific problems, West African cities on the Atlantic Ocean are today struggling with the effects of a new, large-scale climate crisis.

The coastlines of many oceanfront African cities, such as Guinea's capital Conakry, Senegal's capital Dakar, Togo's capital Lome and Côte d'Ivoire's economic capital Abidjan, are gradually disappearing due to coastal erosion.

According to the World Meteorological Organisation's 2019 report, coastal erosion in West Africa is causing coasts to recede by an average of 1.8 metres per year.

Sea water in the region is also rising by 3.5 to 4 millimetres per year, according to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

One of the places where this change in sea level is felt most intensely is the historic city of Saint-Louis, which is located on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Senegal River.

The city, which was used as the capital for a long time during the French colonial period, has been described as the "Venice of Africa" because of its colourful historical buildings and the canal running through it.

Saint-Louis, or Ndar, as it is called in the local language, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is today at risk of losing some of its shores.