Lake Chad Basin

• The risky connection between climate change and violence in nations like Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria in the Lake Chad Basin has been underlined in a report by a humanitarian organisation.

More about the news:

• Conflict and migration in the area are being fueled by droughts, flooding, and a decreasing Lake Chad.
• According to a report by Refugees International, communities are becoming tenser and individuals are being displaced as a result of shrinking natural resources brought on by unfavorable weather.
• An extra 11 million people require humanitarian aid, and there have been about 3 million displaced persons.
• Lake Chad, one of the greatest freshwater lakes in Africa, has decreased by 90%.
• Across the region, about 10 million people want immediate aid. The Lake Chad situation is regarded by the UN as "one of the worst in the world."

About Lake Chad Basin:

• The Sahel, a sizable semi-arid region south of the Sahara desert, is where Lake Chad is situated.
• Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger are its four neighbours.
• The Lake Chad basin includes wetlands of significant global conservation value, biosphere reserves, World Heritage, and Ramsar areas.
• Over 30 million people in the area rely on the lake for drinking water, irrigation, fishing, livestock, and economic activities.
• It receives most of its water from the Chari River via the Lagone tributary.
• 90% of its water supply previously came from the Lagone tributary.
• In 60 years, Lake Chad has decreased by 90%, with climate change playing a key role.
• Significance - The Lake is essential for the pastoral, farming, and indigenous communities in these nations.
• 42 million people live in the Lake Chad basin in West and central Africa, which makes up about 8% of the continent.
• Problem - The region is particularly susceptible to drought, and historically, the lake has decreased during extended dry spells.
• Competition over the limited resource has grown as the lake gets smaller, and conflicts between communities have risen as a result.
• Competition for land, water, and food has risen during the past few decades.
• This competition is causing intercommunal conflict and eviction.

Overcoming the obstacles:

• The afflicted nations' governments are currently engaged in conflict on a number of fronts near Lake Chad.
• First, a military offensive against the terrorists is being carried out. The terrorists are still being attacked by a joint multinational task force made up of soldiers from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and Benin.
• Second, governments seek to put an end to the bloody disputes between farmers and herders over pasture and water.
• Third, they are looking for a long-term solution to the lake's drying up, which is making the area's poverty worse.
• A multibillion-dollar project that would channel water from the 2,400 km away Ubangi River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is part of an ambitious attempt to restore the lake to its former splendor. In 2018, a feasibility study was already in progress.

Way Forward

• Reaching out to the rebel factions is necessary in order to launch a participatory planning and implementation process for a peace-building initiative.
• The empowerment and integration of refugees and internally displaced people into society should be a top priority.
• Deep-seated problems demand ongoing participation in order to be solved sustainably. This is made feasible by encouraging global development cooperation and strong governance.
• Humanitarian aid and radical military action will never be able to bring back peace and stability.
• Instead, it is important to strengthen early warning and food security analysis tools to assist communities in successfully preparing for risks and upcoming shocks.