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African environment ministers meet

    ABIDJAN

    African ministers began on Wednesday their eighth conference on the environment, news sources told IRIN.

    In a meeting of experts on Tuesday ahead of the minister's conference, Nigeria proposed that plans be made to restore Lake Chad, which lies on the edge of the world's largest desert, the Sahara.

    The lake, which is at most eight meters deep, has been drying up over decades as a result of natural and man-made causes like drought and deforestation.

    The German news agency, DPA, reported that Nigeria wanted the Lake Chad Basin Commission, established in 1964, "to devise new systems for water resources management and planning". The aim, it said, was to induce efficient water use, especially in large-scale irrigation, and better soil management around the lake to reduce evaporation.

    In a meeting early in March of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo sought the aid of the UNDP and other international agencies to save the lake.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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