Rising sea levels in Rigo washing up skeletons

By PERO SIMINJI
PEOPLE living along the Central coast have experienced some adverse impacts of climate change, with corpses surfacing due to a rise in sea level, according to an advocate.
Climate change activist Latin N’drihin told The National yesterday in Port Moresby that the Alukuni community in the Rigo Coast local level government (LLG) was  facing a tough challenge on how to protect its graveyard from the effects of shoreline erosion due to rising seas.
N’drihin said the effects of climate change were real and could not be ignored. He said there was an urgent need for government authorities and local MPs to find ways to halt the  thinning shoreline before more coffins were seen floating into the sea.
“Having skeletons being washed out onto the beach poses a health risk besides the lesser obvious signs of contamination,” he said.
Local ward councillor Mape Iga said they would probably move inland for safety purposes.
“But leaving our loved ones and the place we called home for generations to the sea is something we cannot accept easily.”