It is sad to see some of the beautiful lakes are drying up so quickly around the world. Not so long ago, these lakes were the fishers’ dream and beautiful destination for tourists. Unfortunately, in recent years, Mother Nature is taking away a huge share of water from those lakes, leaving the cracked up thirsty wastelands behind. But, we can’t blame only Mother Nature for such a disastrous downturn. Instead, we as humans should take the blame for the mismanagement of those lakes.
Of course, we can apply global warming factor to explain the reasons of dying lakes. Scientists admit that our earth is getting hotter. But, it appears that global warming is not the only force that led to nature’s distortion. It is our responsibility to take the strongest actions to sustain the crucial components of our planet and preserve them for the future.
Today, I collected the list of 3 lakes that are drying up so quickly due to the mismanagement. These lakes are on the brink of disappearing unless some preventive measures are taken.
Lakes that are drying up so quickly due to mismanagement
1. Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is also known as “Sea of Salt” and “The Sea of Death”. Although it is called sea, Dead Sea is not an actual sea. It is a lake with salty water. The Dead Sea is surrounded by Israel, Jordan, and Palestine.
Interesting facts: the Dead Sea is the lowest elevation on land. Its 997ft (304 m) deep, and it is the saltiest body of water in the world. If you get into its water, your body will float. It is because Dead Sea water is about 24% denser than regular water.
Problems: Unfortunately, Dead Sea is one of the quickly drying lakes. Every year, its water drops over 3ft (1 m). Diversion of incoming water from the Jordan River is one of the main reasons why its size is shrinking rapidly.
Measures to fix the problem: In December of 2013, Palestine, Jordan, and Israel signed the agreement to run a pipeline between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. The pipeline will bring 300 million cubic meters of water from the Red Sea to pour into the Dead Sea.
2. Lake Chad.
Lake Chad is one of the crucial lakes in Africa. It provides more than 68 million people with water. Lake is surrounded by four African Countries: Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon.
Interesting facts: Lake Chad is very shallow. Its deepest spot is only 34ft (10.5 m). When it was measured by Europeans in 1823, Chad was measured as the largest lake in the World. It was believed to be even larger than the Caspian Sea.
Problems: As Dead Sea, Lake Chad is also one of the drying lakes. According to the United Nations Environment Program, Lake Chad’s size shrank close to 95 % between 1968 and 1998. The main reason for its dropping water remains to be the over usage. Surrounding countries use the water from the lake Chad to water the agricultural lands. Dry seasons also contribute to this problem.
Measures to fix the problem: Surrounding countries and the World Bank are working on a project to bring water from Ubangi River.
3. Aral Sea
The Aral Sea is also one of the disappearing lakes. Years ago, Aral sea was one of the largest lakes in the world. It is area was 26,300 sq. miles. The lake locates in Central Asia.
Problems: the Aral Sea is shrinking fast. Rivers once pour into the Aral were diverted for agricultural projects during the Soviet Union. By 2007, its overall size shrank more than 90% and by 2009 its waters split into 4 separate sections. The Aral Sea was seen as the planet’s worst environmental disasters.
Measures to fix the problem: Uzbekistan’s economy is greatly tied to the growing cotton. Cotton requires so much water to grow. Now, governments working on replacing previous species of cotton plants with a new kind that will require less water. Another plan is to bring water from the Volga, Ob and Irtysh rivers and pour into the Aral Sea.
These are the three lakes that are drying up so quickly due to mismanagement. They definitely need serious attention, so we could come up with a sustainable solution to preserve them for the future generations to come.
