Lake Chad Basin Commission: Experts Discuss Water Management, Cross Border Security By Jude Fuhnwi (Yaounde) Experts of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, LCBC, are discussing ways to sustain and equitably manage the waters of the Lake Chad, which has experienced a dramatic dehydration from 26000 square kilometres in 1960 to 1.500 square kilometres today. Discussions began on Monday, December 02, at the Conference Centre in Yaoundé, and are expected to end this Thursday evening with the adoption of the resolutions of the 59th ordinary session of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. The experts are also discussing the pertinent issue of cross border insecurity which is persistent in the six-member Lake Chad Basin area. According to the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Sanusi Imran Abdullahi, the discussions give high premium to the issue of transfer of water from the Congo basin into the Lake Chad, to combat the depletion of the lake which poses a threat to people’s survival. “We are working with the donor basin so as to guarantee survival. The danger is catastrophic. About 30million people are affected and if the problems are not solved, they will have to migrate or die” said Sanusi adding that they are also scrutinizing and stepping up climate change studies to solve the problems. As remedy to the fast drying up of lake Chad, experts of member countries of the basin are studying the giant project, Trans-aqua, that should deviate water from the Oubangui river in the Congo basin to the lake, through Chari and Logone rivers. According to experts, the gigantic project will require the digging of a 1 350kilimetres channel, estimated at US dollars 1.2. The shallow depth of Lake Chad makes it vulnerable and very dependent on seasonal variations, making it increasingly difficult to navigate in the lake. Speaking at the start of the expert meeting, the Secretary General in the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Gilbert Edoa, said experts will handle the technical aspect of the project aimed at bringing back the lake to its initial surface area. However, member countries are not paying their contributions to facilitate the project, experts have said. “Not up to 20 per cent contribution was received from member states by October this year. Only Niger and Chad paid in October. Libya paid only 50 per cent by October and the others nothing. Accumulated arrears stood at over 7billion and visibility of the LCBC is still very low” Sanusi noted. Besides, he hoped president Biya convenes the second meeting of defense ministers of member states expected to hold in Yaoundé, as soon as possible. These ministers and chiefs of arm forces are expected to meet and validate the mandate of the multinational army that will parade and secure the Lake Chad basin. The Lake Chad Basin Commission, LCBC, with headquarters in N’Djamena, was established on May 22, 1964 by the four countries that border Lake Chad; Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and Chad. The Central African Republic joined the organization in 1966 while Libya was admitted in 2008, bringing the total number of member countries to six.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:31:37 +0000
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