The disappearing lake: How Africa’s Lake Chad nearly vanished and the $50 billion engineering plan designed to restore it
How Africa' s Lake Chad lost most of its waters The 2,400-kilometre proposal that could reshape Lake Chad’s future How Lake Chad’s decline fuelled a
How Africa' s Lake Chad lost most of its waters The 2,400-kilometre proposal that could reshape Lake Chad’s future How Lake Chad’s decline fuelled a wider crisis A costly vision to reshape Africa’s water landscape Searching for a future for the lake Lake Chad, once one of Africa’s largest inland water bodies, has lost around 90% of its surface area since the 1960s, leaving millions of people facing the loss of fishing, farming and livestock livelihoods. The decline has been linked to changing climate patterns, rising water demand and expanding irrigation. Now, a decades-old proposal known as Transaqua has brought fresh attention to the lake’s future. First introduced in 1982 by Italian engineers, the ambitious plan suggests building a 2,400-kilometre canal to transfer water from the Congo River basin to Lake Chad at a projected cost of billions of dollars. Supporters see it as a possible revival project, while critics warn of environmental and practical challenges.Lake Chad has undergone one of the most dramatic environmental changes in Africa. As reported by the BBC, since the middle of the 20th century, the lake has lost around 90% of its surface area, although the exact size has varied over time depending on rainfall patterns and seasonal changes.The decline has not come from a single cause. Rising demand for water, expanding irrigation projects, a growing population and shifting climate conditions have all placed pressure on the lake system.Rivers that once regularly fed its waters have become less reliable, while communities around the basin have continued to depend on the shrinking resource.The impact has been felt across a region where millions of people rely on farming, fishing and livestock.
Areas that were once known for productive fields and busy fishing markets have become increasingly difficult places to make a living.Bale Bura, who grew up by the lake in the 1970s and now works for the Lake Chad Fishermen's Association said, "We used to pass fields of maize on our way to the lake and there were vast numbers of boats bobbing up and down on the water back then, and huge fish markets”.The proposal to revive Lake Chad through a massive water transfer project was first developed in the early 1980s by the Italian engineering company Bonifica Spa, as per the reports.Known as Transaqua, the plan would involve building a canal stretching roughly 2,400 kilometres from tributaries of the Congo River system towards the Chari River, the main water source feeding Lake Chad.The project was designed to redirect a portion of Congo basin water northwards while creating a network of dams that could generate electricity along the route. Engineers behind the proposal argued that the additional water could help restore the lake and create new opportunities for agriculture and infrastructure development.When the plans were circulated among African governments and international financial organisations in the 1980s, they received little response. The scale of the project, its cost and the political challenges involved meant the idea remained largely untouched for decades. For many years, Transaqua existed more as an engineering concept than a realistic proposal.The shrinking lake has affected communities already struggling with poverty and limited opportunities.
The BriefWire