A Rising Lake Chad Displaces 25,000
Rising water in Lake Chad after the heaviest rains in Central Africa in at least 30 years has left an estimated 25,000 people homeless in northern Nigeria, local officials said Monday.
“The people were displaced from various areas in seven local government councils following the resurgence of Lake Chad,” said Ahmed Asheme, Borno state’s housing and environment commissioner, who requested aid from the central government.
He said many victims were sheltering in schools, mosques, churches and other public buildings.
Lake Chad is fed by rivers in tropical Central Africa.
In previous years, environmentalists have issued warnings that the lake could dry up as a result of desertification because of overgrazing and possibly because of global warming.
But locals report the heaviest rains in at least 30 years.
Flood waters also have forced tens of thousands of people from homes this year in the Niger and Benue river valleys and other parts of Africa’s most populous nation.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
