Lake Chad
Orrin Babcock
Location
lakechad.gif
• Area 10,000 – 25,000 km2
• Inflow from the LogoneChari river system
• Freshwater
• Closed system
• Max depth of
10-11m
• 4-8m in the
North
• 2-4m in the
South
• 1/20 of its
original size
Logone-Chari river system
Industries of Lake Chad Basin
Fish Market / Fisheries
Manufacturing
Leather Industry
Cotton Spinning
brewing, machinery, milling and food
industry
Industries Cont.
Agriculture
Millet
Soda Mining
Cassava
Also:
Groundnut, sorghum, maize, rice,
onions, tomatoes, cotton
Soda
Biodiversity of Lake Chad
Blackcrowned
Crane
Kuri Cattle
Alestes baremoze
A. dentex
Papyrus
Shrinking of Lake Chad
https://earthkam.ucsd.edu/ekimages/investigating_images/chad
Lake Chad, once upon a time: The
vulnerability of Africa’s shrinking
Lake
• Main causes for shrinkage:
– Climate
– Overgrazing / Desertification
– Irrigation
Climate Change
• Over grazing
– Deforestation
– Desertification
• Leads to
– Drifting sand dunes
– More sediments in
lake
http://peakwater.org
Irrigation
• Diverts water from Lake Chad as well as
the Logone-Chari river system which feeds
the lake.
• 20 million people live in the LCB (Lake
Chad Basin) and rely on irrigation for
agriculture
Irrigation
Canal
Flood Irrigation
Minor Cause
• Lack of Government funding / attention
– devote a meager part of budgets for
management
– more concerned with short-term subjects
Proposed Solutions
• Empowerment of the Commission (LCBC)
– Regulate and control the utilization of water
and other resources within the basin.
• Lake Chad Replenishment Project
(LCRP)
– transfer water from Oubangui River
– Dam at Palambo
– Navigable canal of about 100-150 km to Lake
Chad
Conclusion
• Educate the people of the area
• Have the Basin Govt’s work together
• The future of the Lake depends on how
well recovery projects are implemented.
Questions?