On August 26-27, 2019, intense rains hit the southern part of Mauritania, in the province of Gidimaka, causing severe flooding in the area. In particular, the provincial capital, Selibavi, suffered extensive human and property damage as a result of the torrential rains, which exceeded 300 mm.

According to reports, at least three people were killed and many others injured, and in addition, about 850 houses were completely destroyed and about4,200 houseshouses were damaged. Large parts of the city were still flooded after the rain clouds passed, and a bridge leading to the western part of Mauritania was reportedly damaged. Although the Mauritanian government has stated that it would provide food and tents to the affected areas, in reality, it has been slow to make progress and adequate assistance has not beeninadequateMany people voiced their opinions.

The calm before the storm. Balaina (Photo: Ferdinand Reus/Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 2.0])

This is not the only natural disaster facing Mauritania. Damage caused by climate change and the lack of appropriate responses to climate change have brought Mauritania under the influence of increasingly severe environmental damage over the past few decades. This article will discuss the problems facing Mauritania.

Background of the Issue

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a country located on the west coast of Africa. Although the country covers more than 1 million square kilometers, most of it is covered by the Sahara Desert, leaving only about 0.51 TP3T of the country's land suitable for cultivation. With a population of only 4 million, it is one of the world'sfourth (in a series)The country has the lowest population density in the world.

Despite low precipitation, much of the country's agriculture is carried out using only rainwater. As a result, the supply of grains such as rice and wheat cannot keep up with demand, forcing the country to rely largely on imports of grains and other food products from abroad. In industry, iron ore mining and fishing are the main means of earning foreign currency, with GDP growth from 3% in 2015 to 3.61 TP3T in 2018. In urban areas, GDP is rising, partly due to the development of commerce and service sectors. However, Mauritania is increasingly facing both environmental problems, such as sea level rise and desertification, and anthropogenic problems, such as depletion of marine resources.

Flooded capitals

Currently, the capital city of Nouakchott is suffering from flooding. This is not a disaster movie scenario, but a reality that threatens the capital of Mauritania. Most of Nouakchott is located at zero meters above sea level, and is exposed to the impending rise of the sea level. This situation has worsened over the past few decades, and Nouakchott, home to about 1 million people, has recently been flooded.

Exacerbating the damage caused by rising sea levels is poor infrastructure. The capital has no main drainage system, and many citizens are cutting into their savings in preparation for the rainy season, which begins around August. This is because rising sea levels make the city's groundwater more salty, and as it rises, residents must fortify their homes and raise the height of their floors. In addition to this, the flooding has created stinking ponds, which have led to the spread of water-borne diseases in the city. Residents can only wait for the water levels to recede, without knowing the real extent of the damage until the flooding subsides.

Flooding in Nouakchott involves both environmental and anthropogenic factors. A large part of this is accelerating climate change. Sea levels continue to rise, and by the end of the 21st century20-50 cmIt is projected to rise. In addition, Nouakchott will experience an increase in the number of rainy days and the amount of rainfall in a short period of time.Increasing. As a result, the elevated groundwater table prevents rainwater from flowing underground, forming ponds and causing flooding. Another anthropogenic factor is related to the fact that the capital is protected by large sand dunes located along the coast. Although this may seem like a good thing, as the population grows and the city expands with incomplete infrastructure in the dune areas along the coast, the risk of flooding is furtherswellThe result is a "no-go" situation.

Flooding seen in a sukuk outside Nouakchott (Photo: Youssef Colibaly)

In 2007, the Mauritanian Coastal Master Plan (PDAL) was launched to address the challenges and to implement and support projects that will lead to solutions. The PDAL aims to address these issues and has begun to implement and support projects that will lead to solutions. The plan includes several items, such as the establishment of an observatory on the coast.Proposed.The city has been a major player in the flooding crisis in the past few years. To date, however, little has been done to address flooding, and residents are still struggling to cope with the increasingly severe wet season rains and rising water levels. Drastic alternatives are now being proposed and considered, including moving Mauritania's capital elsewhere.

Progressive Desertification

Due in part to its geographic location on the west coast of North Africa, where the Sahara desert is constituted, Mauritania is highly susceptible to desertification. Indeed, the capital city of Nouakchott is threatened not only by the sea to the west, but also by encroachment by sand dunes to the east. The city's inhabitants worry about this threat on a daily basis. In addition to this, the southern part of the country, where most of the livestock and agricultural activities take place, is also threatened by soil degradation, which, combined with the erratic rainy season, has had a devastating effect on the livestock industry. Desertification increases the risk of drought and greatly impairs fertile soils and the productivity of agricultural products. These problems have also created a situation where the country is dependent on imported grain and food aid.

Multiple factors can be attributed to the acceleration of desertification, including environmental features and climate change, including global warming. And this desertification is caused by the movement of sand in sand dunes due to sandstorms and other factors.Worsening.In addition, poor soil and water management, represented by unsustainable agriculture and other land uses in Nouakchott, is exacerbating desertification.

Urgent action is definitely needed to control the damage. The government has taken a variety of measures to address this problem. One example is that since 1975, the government has been implementing theNouakchott GreenbeltHe led a massive tree-planting program around the capital, known as the "New Urban Forestation Project," to protect the capital from the looming desert. However, the capital itself continues to expand, and so far there has been no discernible effect in terms of urban protection.

Nouakchott, where the desert dances in (Photo: William Darcy Hall/Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 3.0])

1973In 1964, the "Permanent Committee for the Prevention of Drought among the Sahelian Countries (PCD)" was established by a number of countries affected by desertification in the region to fight against drought and to achieve self-sufficiency in food, in addition to sustainable national development.CILSS) was established. However, the Mauritanian ministry in charge of the environment and sustainable development was, as a result, so complex were the issues that the goals setunachievedThe company states that it ended up with

Against this backdrop, the "Giant green wallA heavily funded plan to grow greenery across 8,000 kilometers across Africa, known as the "Green Growth Project," may be the key to turning the situation around. Mauritania is one of the countries leading the project, which aims to end land degradation and promote reforestation. Nevertheless, until innovative and efficient ideas to address the desertification problem emerge, the Mauritanian people will still have to deal with the difficult situation they are facing and prepare for the worst.

Dwindling marine resources

The coast of Mauritania is a very rich marine resource area and one of the richest fishing regions in the world. Countries such as China, Spain, and Japan are major importers of seafood caught in Mauritania.15%and foreign currency income45%The country's fisheries account for Despite this dependence on fisheries, climate change and over-exploitation of fisheries resources have greatly increased the diversity of coastal biodiversity and fish populations in Mauritania.Threatened....and the impact of the fishery on the livelihoods of those who depend on it. Directly, the sustainability of income from fishing and the livelihoods of those who depend on the fishery will be greatly affected.

While marine life around the world is being affected by rising sea temperatures due to climate change, Mauritania is particularly hard hit. There aredataindicates that the waters off Mauritania and Senegal are warming more rapidly than other near-equatorial waters. The effects of overfishing are also becoming more noticeable. The amount of fish landed in Mauritania between 2010 and 2015Approx. 46% The number is increasing, andIn response, resources are beginning to decline. In fact, this result is also evident in the supply,In 2018, the volume of Mauritanian octopus exports to Asian countries will be significantlyDecreased.The report also states that climate change Climate change will also eliminate half of all fishing-related jobs in West Africa by 2050.Estimated.The following is a list of the most common problems with the

Fishermen returning from octopus fishing (Photo: Uzabiaga/Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 4.0])

Fishing activities by foreign vessels are also said to be one of the causes of overfishing of marine products. An example is the contract signed with the Chinese government in 2010. It was said that it was condemned by institutions in Mauritania and abroad.controversialThe agreement was signed by China and Mauritania. Under the agreement, China obtained fishing rights in waters under Mauritanian jurisdiction in exchange for building a fish processing plant in Mauritania. Some previous deals with the EU have also been problematic.

In recent years, the Mauritanian government has taken several steps to increase transparency regarding fisheries. For example, in 2018, it will provide detailed information on fishing contracts, a global initiative aimed at protecting marine ecosystems from overfishingFisheries Transparency Initiative(FiTI) participating countries. However, it is not known how much these measures will contribute to reducing the problem.

National and international issues

Mauritania and its people face an uncertain future: since the 1960s, the country has been severely affected by droughts, floods, rising sea levels, and desertification, as well as the overexploitation of Mauritania's natural resources, including marine resources. Climate change is the cause of many of these problems. Even though Mauritania is hardly a contributor to the causes of climate change, climate change has causedExtensive damageThe problem is being exacerbated by resource abuse and inadequate management and adaptation strategies. At the same time, the abuse of resources and inadequate management and adaptation strategies are further exacerbating the problem.

Precious water from a well. Natrigel (Photo: Oxfam International/Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])

What is required today is an immediate solution to both environmental changes and human activities. Plans and actions are needed to address the root causes, including tree planting, the construction and maintenance of necessary infrastructure facilities, and the promotion of transparency regarding the exploitation of the country's natural resources by foreign governments and foreign-owned companies. Most important must be global cooperation to combat climate change, a large-scale common enemy of humanity.

Writer: Mohamedou Nasser Dine

Translation: Taku Okada

Graphic: Yumi Ariyoshi

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