Photo: LOUIS KOLUMBIA. Retrieved from thecitizen.co.tz
The erosive force of RSL has been severe, therefore making effective management a challenge and posing a major threat of erosion-induced disappearance for these islands and islets, unless immediate adaptation measures are implemented.
On Mafia Island, the adverse impacts of RSL are starkly visible in Kilindoni and along the coastline of Banja Village, located over 45 kilometers from the heart of the island.
Protective infrastructure, such as walls constructed at the Kilindoni Area to mitigate devastation from ocean water, has been breached, leading to the invasion of ocean waters into areas once shielded. This has resulted in major beach erosion, uprooting, and washing away of coconut trees and other vegetation along the coastline.
Ms Hawa Salumu, a 62-year-old resident of Mafia Island, carrying her business for the last 30 years in the Kilindoni Area, said the situation was alarming, hinting that the impacts of climate change have led to the shrinking size of the Bwejuu islet as an example.
“The threat is compounded by the potential displacement of residents, as seen during past tsunamis, prompting discussions about relocation,” she told this reporter.