FG considers UN’s intervention on drying Lake Chad

The Federal Government has considered intervention of the United Nations (UN) in addressing the situation of the drying of the Lake Chad to save the Lake from totally going into extinction.

It said international intervention is needed as the idea of replenishing the lake is a huge project, that would gulp a huge amount of money.

The Minister, Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu made the statement at an interactive session with Tribune Online, Abuja.

According to him, Nigeria during the Obasanjo administration committed a sum of $5million for the feasibility study that identified inter-basin transfer as one solution to the problem of shrinking up of the Lake.

He explained that the pre-feasibility study suggested that about $14billion would be needed to execute the project.

The Minister, however noted that the combined efforts of the Lake Chad commission member countries comprising of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroun, Chad, centra Africa republic and Lybia cannot come up with the needed sum.

“First of all, Nigeria during the Obasanjo administration committed $5million for the feasibility study of the inter-basin transfer project that we have identified as one solution to the problem of drying of the lake. That study was finished in 2012 but on reviewing the study we realised that more work needs to be done. That study only said that it is possible to have the inter-basin transfer, there needs to be more studies to be conducted, a more detailed feasibility study and eventually a detailed design of the project.

“The pre-feasibility studies suggested that we need about $14billion to do that project not of these countries combine can put up that kind of money. Then in the process we thought, okay every time we go to the forefront we discuss Lake Chad people are keeping a straight face, they don’t like to hear that $14billion so we now came up with the Idea that why not have an international conference with Lake Chad so that we can bring this problem to international attention.

“It is not just a climate issue, it is a security issue, the security challenges we are having in the Northeast, I can guarantee you substantial of it has to do with the drying up of Lake Chad because the youths there have lost all opportunities, all hope there is no economic opportunity there. So we are  working with UNESCO and we are hoping that at the end of August or September or hopefully before the end of the year we are hoping to have a national conference on Lake Chad that conference we aim to achieve two things, one is to bring the problem to international attention so that if and when eventually we need to do the inter basin transfer the international community is already aware of the gravity of the situation and it would be easier to mobilize fund to implement that project,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria has encouraged a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding MoU between the Lake Chad basin commission and a company from China, Power China.

According to him;”This Company is responsible for the inter-basin transfer, China is doing exactly the same thing, they are transferring water from southern China to Northern China. Just like Nigeria, the Southern China has ore water than the North. The Northern part, some areas are semi-arid so they are transferring water. The total canal that they built is about 2,500 Kilometres and that is phase 1.”

Adamu pointed out that the company has commenced further study on the lake to effect transfer of water from the Congo basin into the Lake Chad adding;”because there is excess water in the Congo basin going into the Atlantic ocean.

“Thank God because of climate change issues, the countries within the Congo basin are also supporting this idea of replenishing the lake but it is a huge project, it is going to cause a lot of money.”

The Minister further warned that the project is a generational project as the study and planning require years before the project can be implemented.

“This project I must warn is a generational project, the study alone , the planning will take years but eventually for it to be implemented it is also going to take years if not decades but what is important is that we must do something about the lake Chad within 20 to 30 years.

“I am not sure with the situation of climate change, I am made to understand that all climate change models that have been generated have indicated that the sahel region that you can never predict the weather like this forecast and say this Is what willl happen in 10 years or 15 years.

“Yes they have succeeded in many other different place that in view of all the data they have gathered they can with confidence this and that will happen in 10 years but it is not like that in the Sahel . So to me that is even more serious to me, if this lake as shrunk by more than 90% in the last 40 years I don’t know what is going to happen in the next 50 years this place will go, the likelihood is that we wake up one day found out that the Lake Chad is gone. So we have no option than to find every solution that we can to make sure that that lake remains alive and feeding the communities.”