Vital Lakes Disappearing Around the World
Water scarcity is a growing problem worldwide, with Africa being hit particularly hard. As temperatures soar and rainfall drops, vital lakes are drying up. We take a look at some of the most startling vanishing acts.
Lake Chad was once one of the largest lakes in the world. For centuries, it's been a vital source of food and water for the surrounding communities. But it's vanishing at an astonishing rate. Since the 1960s, decreased from around 25,000 square kilometers to 1,350 square kilometers, which is equivalent to a country roughly the size of Belize in South America disappearing. It is now a patchwork of weeds, ponds and islands.
What was once fertile land around the lake is now dust. Agriculture and fish stocks have collapsed. Around 30 million people in countries, including Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, depend on these waters and the lake's vanishing act has plunged the basin into a food and malnourishment crisis "on an epic scale," according to aid agencies.
EC/ECHO/Anouk Delafortrie