Why Are the World’s Lakes Disappearing?

Number of excuses can be trotted up but the most apyt reply
is increasing human interference.  Anthropogenic interferebce.

We have dammed flowing water to divert to more vocal rich areas
denying water to living beings staying along the flowing water (rivers)
and stored water (lakes and ponds). India has remained hte second largest
dam builder in the world since 1960s.

We have filled up lakes to reclaim land for the powerful and we siffer the
consequences now.  Water shortage and change in precipitation cycle.

Best wishes.

—
Kisan Mehta              Priya Salvi
Save Bombay Committee and Prakruti
1203, Kanchunjunga “A”,
Plot 20, Sector 11, Koparkhairne,
Navi Mumbai 400709, India.
www.savebombaycommittee.org
Kisan Mehta: 0091 9223448857
Priya Salvi: 0091 9324027494
*****************************************
———Forwarded message —-

Why Are the World’s Lakes Disappearing?

*Posted by Abigail Brown <http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/brown/>, Water
For The Ages <http://waterfortheages.wordpress.com/> at 1:00 PM on June 10,
2008.*

From the Great Lakes to Lake Chad, the world’s inland lakes are drying up.
*
*
[image: lakechad1]

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An estimated <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake> three hundred and four
million of them across the globe, and yet still, researchers are noticing
many inland lakes are beginning to dry.

In Siberia, Central Asia, East Africa, and North America — the results are
the same — lakes simply cannot compete with man-made alterations to the
environment.

And, these are not just small lakes, some of the
lakes<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake>with dropping water levels are
gigantic in size.

There are 122 large lakes in the world each over 1000 square kilometers (386
square miles).

Lake Victoria <http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/afr/afr-05.html>, in Africa,
is the largest tropical lake in the world at 68,800 square kilometers
(26,560 square miles). Mounting water-level decline<http://allafrica.com/stories/200805201058.html>in this lake is
slowly eroding the livelihood of local fisherman and
ranchers, agricultural producers, and industrial water users near the lake.
A lack of suitable drinking water or dependable power supply is also
becoming more
common<http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Victoria/victoria2.html>in
the region.

Morning Edition on NPR recently aired a segment on Lake Victoria by
corespondent Jessica Partnow: Battle for Resources Grows as Lake Victoria
Shrinks <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90931419>. She
has also reported on dropping water levels in Lake Haramaya<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/356178_water24.html>in
Africa for World Vision Report. Sometimes occasional fluctuations of
water levels in lakes are natural, but the current rate that many lakes are
beginning to go dry throughout the world is not.

Humans alter the natural environment near lakes and water levels decline. We
build dams, over-pump rivers, over-use groundwater, put roads and parking
lots in natural recharge areas, build industries in locations without enough
water, over-irrigate our crops, and, often, we use too much water in our
homes. *Not to mention the effect of a changing climate on water supply
sources*.

But, some things that could help ‘decline’ at least some of this water-level
decline include:

– conservation, conservation, conservation

– grow crops in regions they are acclimated (low-water crops)

– alternative water supply sources such as rainwater harvesting systems

– pursue green “water conservative” development techniques

– reduce the pavement

– rethink industrial production

– low impact living

– conservation, conservation, conservation.

Here’s a few other lakes around the world with dropping water levels:

– Aral Sea <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea> – Central Asia

– Great Lakes<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071230093533.htm>-
United States

– Lake Baikal<http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2008/2008-05-02-02.asp>-
Russia

– Lake Chad<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/02/010228080245.htm>-
Egypt

– Lake Chapala<http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16298>-
Mexico

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