Posted on 09/06/2011 5:28:50 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Lake Chad, one of the largest boddies of water in Sub-Saharan Africa, is on the verge of drying up, as only 1,500 square kilometres, of the original 25,000 square kilometres size of the lake still remain.
The figure represents 10 percent of the initial size of the lake, which traverses Nigeria and three other neighboring countries -- Chad , Niger , and the Republic of Cameroon.
The lake, which banks in Nigeria , in the north-astern state of Borno, with Maiduguri as its administrative capital, is said to share similar hydrological basin with four other countries: Central African Republic, Algeria , Sudan and Libya.
Experts are of the view that at the rate at which the lake is shrinking, it might become mere dry land in the next 20 years...
“This is a staggering prospect when it is remembered that at the time of Nigeria `s political independence, the lake covered an area larger than the size of the state of Israel . Today only less than 10 percent of that size remains..."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessdayonline.com ...
I hope that’s a Baby Ruthe!!
The northern part of the lake is surrounded more or less by arid country, not surprisingly, that’s the part that has shrunk. :’)
Not good.
30 million desperate people can create a lot of havoc.
So what do they want me to do about it?
A large and very shallow lake, that has dramatically varied in size over the centuries,, and bordered by Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon. What could possibly go wrong? Next,,,,
Alarmism at it's best.
Hey let’s send our military over there to pass out humanitarian food. And avoid sending AC130’s and tanks, cuz those LOOK BAD.
And then we can creep the mission a little, and start arresting the baddies that use the hunger and food distribution as a weapon m’kay?
Then we can discover that our own in-uniform reservist translators are immediate emigrant relatives of the local warlords.
Then, one day we’ll have an especially sensitive snatch-op in a contested downtown marketplace, an op that was supposed to take just 30 minutes AND THEN.....
Fill in the blank.
Remember seeing the African women walking long distances with their water containers on their heads. We were told they usually spent a good part of their day doing this. And I remember a Masai standing patiently while we took a break in our travels ....he waited silently and patiently and was finally given what he wanted: a bottle of water.
A pitiful life in which there is no way to ever get ahead.
True.
The only compassionate thing to do is let them all immigrate here and start new lives where their children will have a bright future like American children. It's only fair.
The article neither explained why the lake is contracting nor any historical context. Sigh.... thanks for your insights.
Its a shame that big Ice Island breaking off of the Greenland Glacier cannot be towed to a location and broken up then transported to replenish Lake Chad.
—Algore will argue global warming, no less.
ditto.
i thought bill gates and warren buffet had africa covered.
They’re probably already registered to vote in 2012.
I had an attractive woman friend who worked in the Central African Republic in the Peace Corps:
Her town had no piped water, and so the agreement was that fairer sex would bathe in the river at one time, while the dudes had their time, too.
As she walked to the river with her wash-basin the men would happily call out to one another, spreading the word that the blonde would soon be bathing:
As she did so, they (she was there to help all of them at virtually no pay) would openly masturbate, and eagerly call out to her to behold the moment of their most maximum satisfaction.
When she took them up later regarding these awkward habits, they were puzzled and annoyed —many of them considered this role as part of her job, if not the most important part.
THAT is Africa.
Interesting, though they don’t bother to tell us why its drying up - prolonged drought? Diversion/Mass human consumption? It would be relevant, since the article is impliedly a ‘do something’ one.
Aren't we lucky? We get to sit here in our comfy homes in front of our computers with fresh, running water in our kitchens, our bathrooms and even in our dishwashers and washing machines............
I can't fathom having to live like these people where every day death comes via starvation or disease.
Hopefully they will be too thirsty to spend all day typing, “General Mombutu wishes you confidential kitten greetings with warmest plans for banking proposal in the striktezt confudunce”.
was she one of the rape victims covered up by Maria’s dad?
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