‘25 million people affected, as Lake Chad Basin shrinks’

Ayodele Adesanmi, Abuja - 05.07.2009

National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has revealed that due to the shrinkage of Lake Chad Basin, over 25million people have been affected negatively.

The effect, it stated, are mostly on the environment, farming activities, fishing, and other critical socio-economic activities, which had resulted in the movement and relocation of settlements, as well as disruption of economic activities and socio-cultural distortions of family relationships.

To find out the reason behind the shrinkage, NASRDA would begin a field work on a study of the basin.

The Head Media and Corporate Affairs of NASRDA, Mr. Felix Ale, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, said the research work entitled “Integrated Surface-Ground Water Management on Lake Chad Basin Using Satellite Images, Climate data, and Hydrological Modelling” would begin tommorow.