Vulnerability of Coastal Communities, Mombasa, Kenya.

Thanks for sharing Vintage Mwangi #sharingisaboutcaring ··· “ Vulnerability of urban coastal communities to climate change. Climate change, a global phenomenon, is no longer a distant possibility but a current reality. Coastal areas are expected to be hit the hardest, since most climate-related risks experienced globally are water related. Mshomoroni neighbourhood in Mombasa County the focus of an ongoing study, is characterised by affordable, un-serviced housing and a poor population keen to eke out a living from the economic benefits accruable from the coast. Unprecedented changes in the climate have greatly heightened the vulnerability of this coastal community to adverse impacts of these very extreme climatic events.

Field surveys and analysis have shown that inadequate infrastructural and service provisions [poor road networks, non-existent solid waste management systems, sewers and drainage systems], poor housing typologies, diminishing open and blue-green spaces and inadequate health facilities have significantly increased the scale of vulnerability to climate change. The high levels of unemployment, meagre income per household, illiteracy and institutional bottlenecks have affected the ability of Mshomoroni residents to adapt, recover and respond to climate change and its related impacts at an individual and household level.

Therefore, adaption of this coastal community to these abrupt climatic changes is mandatory, as it will increase the chances of survival of the people, the maritime ‘blue’ economy, coastal infrastructure and maintain the integrity of coastal ecosystems. This study aims to propose plausible tentative recommendations tailor-made for Mshomoroni neighbourhood to build resilience and a community that can adequately adapt to the dynamic effects of climate change.

#climatechange #coastalcommunities #mshomoroni #mombasa #kenya#africa #schoolprojects Study being carried out by @shiks_munene ”