The death of a lake

Lake Chad, once the third largest in Africa, is shrinking so fast, it will be only a pond in a couple of decades, threatening the livelihood of fishermen who depend on it for their catch and of farmers who need its water for irrigation.

Not to mention of humans and animals that need its water for mere survival.

From BBC News:

Experts are warning that the lake, which was once Africa's third largest inland water body, could shrink to a mere pond in two decades.

A recent study by Nasa and the German Aerospace Centre blames global warming and human activity for Africa's disappearing water.
[...]
As recently as 1966, Lake Chad, which sits between Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, was a huge expanse of water that the locals fondly referred to as an "ocean".
[...]
For the politicians, there is no arguing with the figures: 40 years ago, the lake was 25,000 sq km and the daily fish catch was some 230,000 tonnes; now it is 500 sq km with a catch of barely 50,000 tonnes.

The Sahara Desert in the north is speeding towards the lake.

"Lake Chad is a global heritage and now a disaster waiting to happen," speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives said at a recent meeting to discuss ways to save the disappearing lake.

Will we be able to avert the death of this once great lake, and with it of the people and animals that depend on it?

Only time will tell.