Liberia. The capital Monrovia is flooded by the ocean, the authorities are looking for a place for a new

Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, is being swallowed by the ocean. On Sunday, hundreds more people lost their homes. The water almost completely covered the beaches stretching from the border with Sierra Leone in the west to the Ivory Coast in the east. It washed away many poorly constructed buildings built close to the shore, but a solid wall several meters high at one of the hotels also collapsed, forcing the evacuation of the guests living there.

A month ago, flash floods caused by heavy rains left 50,000 Liberians homeless.

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Monrovia, considered the wettest capital on the continent, lies on the western Atlantic coast of Liberia, squeezed between the ocean and the Mesurado River, which spreads wide after every rain. For several months now, the footbridges across it have been completely flooded. Only the handrails protruding above the surface of the river allow people to cross to the other side. On this narrow strip of land, over one and a half million people live, crammed together in damp, blackened by water stains.

Several senators in July proposed building a new city to replace Monrovia, which is doomed to be completely flooded. The plan does not yet include an exact location or specify the sources of financing. “We have to move out of Monrovia, which is overpopulated, has deteriorated and has reached a state that does not allow for reconstruction,” said Senator Dabah Varpilah.

Monrovia's problem is not unique to this part of Africa. Along the Atlantic coast lie many of the continent's largest and most densely populated cities. To the east, Abidjan, Accra and Lagos, which are losing their coastline to the ocean each year; to the west, Freetown, Conakry, Dakar. All are vulnerable to storms and coastal flooding caused by rising sea levels.

Saint Louis, located on the northern tip of Senegal, between the Atlantic coast and the Senegal River, has a similar problem to Monrovia. Salty waves on one side and the river on the other have forced residents of this UNESCO World Heritage Site to close schools, mosques and shops, and to leave their homes.

The former “Venice of Africa”, as the city was called, like Monrovia, lies on a flat strip of land, rising only slightly above the ocean level.

Each year, sea levels rise by more than 3 mm. Studies show that this rise is accelerating and is predicted to rise by 30 cm by 2050. The situation is even worse in West Africa, where sea levels are rising by 4 mm per year.