FG proposes global dialogue to save drying Lake Chad

The Federal Government FG has called for a global dialogue to save the Lake Chad Basin from drying up.

Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, made the call when the UNESCO delegation led by the Assistant Director-General paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

He stressed the need to draw international attention to the drastic drying up of the Lake in order to save the over 47million people living around the lake who depend on it for farming, fishing and livestock production as well as water supply for drinking and sanitation.

According to the Minister, the global dialogue would look at ways of drawing experts to proffering solutions on how to save the Lake aside from the feasibility study of inter Basin transfer from Oubangui River in Central African Republic to the lake as agreed by Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin.

He said noted that the Lake Chad Basin has shrunk to about 4,68km2 due to the effect of climate change.

However, he suggested that the discussion should focus on developing a consensus on the feasibility of other options for resuscitation of the Lake Chad.

Adamu added that the Lake Chad Basin Commission and the POWERCHINA International Group Limited had already signed a Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) to actualize the transfer of water from the Congo Basin to Lake Chad Basin.

He said expanded study done by POWERCHINA, showed that it is technically feasible to transfer water from river Congo to Lake Chad thereby increasing the level of the lake.

This, according to the Minister would halt the receding of the lake and the drying of the north basin due to climate change.

In his response, the UNESCO Assistant Director-General Mr Matoko Firnin said the UN is aware of the sensitive nature and implications of the drying up of the Lake Chad as all the issues occasioned by the drying up of the Lake are associated with the core mandates of UNESCO.

He therefore called on all stakeholders to garner the political will to deliberate on all possible sources of financing so as to be able to address the challenges facing the Basin.