Lake Chad
By akram saqib, 13th Aug 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutNewsEnvironment
There are various reasons of this reverse change and the most obvious of them is the irrigation. Most of the researchers agree on the cause of hectic use of lake’s water for irrigation purposes
Shadow of lake
INTRODUCTION
20,000 years old and one of the largest lakes of the world, Lake Chad has drastically diminished in size. The lake that once supplied the sufficient sources of revenue for 20 million people from Chad to Niger has shrunk severely. The lake is 250 meters above sea level and is collectively used by Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger.
RAPID DECREASE IN SIZE
It has lost 90 percent of its surface area in 30 just years. It is 1/20th of the size of 35 years ago. Some 30 million people strive to continue to exist along the lake. This lake has been shrinking and stretching out since ever but present decrease in the size is unprecedented. The area of the lake in 1963 was about 25,000 square kilometers but today it is one-twentieth of that size.
CAUSES BEHIND SHRINKAGE
1-There are various reasons of this reverse change and the most obvious of them is the irrigation. Most of the researchers agree on the cause of hectic use of lake’s water for irrigation purposes.
2-Shallowness of the lake makes it vulnerable to the ordinary changes in the climate. It is only 23 feet deep which is not comparable to its vast surface area. It has under gone seasonal variation due to its little depth.
3-Climate change
Most of the geographers and geologists are at variance with this supposition that the shrinkage is due to climate changes. They say that the man is behind this shrinkage and they are quite right. But we can not overlook this factor altogether. The drastic whether and climate changes are surely one of the reasons. The constant dry weather in the region is the immediate cause of drying. Rain fall has decreased and the lake received its water from the rain waters.
4-Desertification
The monsoon rains failed most of the seasons and the region underwent desertification.
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