<\/p>\n
In Pangani, where the Pangani River meets the Indian Ocean, seawater has travelled about eight kilometres inland, according to the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme (UNEP).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Farmer Buga Steven once harvested about 5 000 coconuts from local trees. Current harvests produce fewer than one-third of that number. \u201cAnd they are much smaller than before,\u201d Steven said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Saltwater has damaged agricultural soil while mangroves have spread into areas previously occupied by coconut trees.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone living along the riverbanks where mangroves are growing should be given grants so they can move elsewhere,\u201d Steven said. \u201cThose areas have already been taken over.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Farmer Iddi Hashimu Iddi said coconut trees had become unhealthy as salt moved inland.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trunks were much thicker and healthier,\u201d Iddi said. \u201cProductivity has dropped, the trees are unhealthy, and many are dying. Our income has also fallen.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coconut farming provided income for education, household needs and social responsibilities. Larger coconuts are now increasingly produced on higher ground.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fishing communities have also been affected by erosion and changing marine conditions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, we knew exactly what depth of water certain fish species preferred,\u201d Fisherman Ali Hamis Daudi said. \u201cNow the fish have moved.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nearly 770 million people worldwide live in coastal areas less than five metres above the high-tide line.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Global mean sea level rose by an average of 4.7mm annually between 2014 and 2023. The annual increase reached a record 5.9mm in 2024, driven mainly by melting glaciers, ice sheets and warming oceans.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen saltwater enters inland areas and affects agriculture, it ultimately impacts food security as a whole,\u201d UNEP Representative in Tanzania Clara Makenya said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
UNEP has supported mangrove planting, coral-reef restoration and seawalls, although conditions differ along the coastline.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cInfrastructure and nature-based systems complement one another,\u201d Makenya said. \u201cIn Pangani\u2019s case, this combined approach is likely to work best.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Some residents want stronger coastal defences, while others believe relocation is unavoidable.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important thing is for the government to compensate all of us who have been affected,\u201d Iddi said. \u201cGive us compensation and allow us to leave these areas behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22668,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44,26],"class_list":["post-46148","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Saltwater is advancing inland along Tanzania\u2019s coast, reducing coconut harvests, driving fish away and threatening the future of communities dependent on farming and fishing.","published_date":"","news_description":"Saltwater is advancing inland along Tanzania\u2019s coast, reducing coconut harvests, driving fish away and threatening the future of communities dependent on farming and fishing.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46150,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/46148\/revisions\/46150"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=46148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}