The Lake Chad replenishment project is a proposed major water diversion scheme to divert water from the
Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...
basin to
Lake Chad
Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme, ...
to prevent it drying up. Various versions have been proposed. Most would involve damming some of the right tributaries of the Congo River and channeling some of the water to
Lake Chad
Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme, ...
via a canal to the
Chari River
The Chari River, or Shari River, is a long river, flowing in Central Africa. It is Lake Chad's main source of water.
Geography
The Chari River flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border f ...
basin.
It was first proposed in 1929 by
Herman Sörgel
Herman Sörgel (2 April 1885 – 25 December 1952) was a German architect from Bavaria. He was known for pioneering the Atlantropa project, which was initially conceived as a solution to the economic and political turmoil gripping Europe in the e ...
as part of his
Atlantropa
Atlantropa, also referred to as Panropa, was a gigantic engineering and colonisation idea that was devised by the German architect Herman Sörgel in the 1920s, and promoted by him until his death in 1952. The project was devised to contain sever ...
project, as a way to irrigate the Sahara. In the 1960s, Lake Chad began to shrink, and the idea was revived as a solution to that problem.
The members of the
Lake Chad Basin International Commission
The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC or CBLT in French) is an intergovernmental organization that oversees water and other natural resource usage in the basin. There are eight member governments—i.e., Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Algeria, the ...
are
Chad
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
, the Central African Republic,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
,
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
and
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Islamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank ( ar, البنك الإسلامي للتنمية, abbreviated as IsDB) is a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development and located in Jeddah, Saudi A ...](_blank)
expressed interest in the project. However, the member states of the Congo-Ubangi-Sangha Basin International Commission (
Congo-Kinshasa
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
,
Congo-Brazzaville
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
and the
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
) expressed concern that the project would reduce the energy potential of the
Inga hydroelectric dam, would affect navigation on the
Ubangi and
Congo rivers and would reduce fish catches on these rivers. However, even the largest proposals would divert less than 8% of the Congo's water, while the remaining 92-95% would not only reach Inga, but would produce electricity twice, first at the new dams and eventually at Inga.
In 2011, the Canadian firm CIMA, under contract from
Lake Chad Basin Commission
The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC or CBLT in French) is an intergovernmental organization that oversees water and other natural resource usage in the basin. There are eight member governments—i.e., Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Algeria, the ...
, produced a feasibility study of several versions of the project.
Pumping from Ubangi
There are several proposals to divert water from the
Ubangi River
The Ubangi River (), also spelled Oubangui, is the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River in the region of Central Africa. It begins at the confluence of the Mbomou (mean annual discharge 1,350 m3/s) and Uele Rivers (mean annual discharge ...
, the biggest tributary of the Congo. This requires pumping the water some 180 m uphill, so it requires a power source, either hydroelectric or solar. The CIMA study considered a version using a dam on the Ubangi to generate 360 MW of power, 250 MW of which would be used to pump water. It was estimated to deliver 91 m
3/s of water to the Chari at a cost of $10 billion.
A variant of this idea would pump water from the Ubangi using solar power instead of hydroelectric power, to avoid the expense and disruption of a dam.
Damming Kotto
The CIMA feasibility study also considered diverting water from a dam on the
Kotto River
The Kotto River (or Koto River) is a tributary of the Oubangui River in the Central African Republic.
Its source is on the south side of the Bongo Massif, near Mount Toussoro on the border between the Central African Republic and Sudan. It flows ...
, a tributary of the Ubangi, near
Bria. This is high enough to move water to the Chari by gravity, with no pumping needed. It was estimated to deliver 108 m
3/s at a cost of $4.5 billion.
Transaqua
![Transaqua](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Transaqua.svg)
The most ambitious proposal, named Transaqua, was proposed by a team of engineers of the firm Bonifica. led by Dr. Marcello Vichi, It would dam not only the Kotto but also the other right tributaries to the south, including the much larger
Mbomou
:''Mbomou'' can also refer to the Mbomou River.
Mbomou is one of the sixteen prefectures of the Central African Republic. It covers an area of and has a population of 132,740 (according to a 2003 census), giving a population density of only 2.2 ...
,
Uele and
Aruwimi. The water would be carried north by a 2400 km navigable canal along a contour line, which would generate hydro-electricity at several points along its length. These would power new industrial townships, while the canal would replenish the lake. The total water delivered would be more than 1500 m
3/s, which is 5-8% of the Congo's average flow, and more than the current total inflow to Lake Chad. But the cost would be more than $50 billion.
This plan was initially considered unlikely to materialize as late as 2005. It was rejected in favor of a smaller water-transfer scheme from the Ubangi. The Lake Chad Basin Commission, however, judged that the project, which involved pumping water upwards from the Ubangi River, was not sufficient to replenish Lake Chad, and adopted Transaqua as the "only feasible" project at the International Conference on Lake Chad, on 26–28 Feb. 2018.
Following the ICLC, representatives of the LCBC and the Italian government signed a MoU for initial funding for the Transaqua feasibility study on 16 October 2018.
On 16 December 2019, an amendment introduced by Italian Sen. Tony Iwobi to the 2021 Italian budget law included a financing of 1.5 million Euro for the feasibility study.
On 13 November 2020, Former Italian Prime Minister, former EU Commission chief and former UN Special Envoy for the Sahel Romano Prodi stated that the populations around Lake Chad could not wait any longer and called for the EU, the UNO, the Organization for African Unity and China to join hands to finance and build Transaqua.
A large merit for the success of Transaqua has been attributed to activists from the LaRouche movement.
Alternative inland waterway
![Congobasinmap](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Congobasinmap.png)
In addition to moving water, this proposal would create an inland
waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...
from the
Ubangi River
The Ubangi River (), also spelled Oubangui, is the largest right-bank tributary of the Congo River in the region of Central Africa. It begins at the confluence of the Mbomou (mean annual discharge 1,350 m3/s) and Uele Rivers (mean annual discharge ...
to the
Chari River
The Chari River, or Shari River, is a long river, flowing in Central Africa. It is Lake Chad's main source of water.
Geography
The Chari River flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border f ...
), around 366 km channel, from the
Gigi River
Gigi may refer to:
Colette novella-related
* ''Gigi'' (novella), a 1944 novella by the French writer Colette
** ''Gigi'' (1949 film), a French adaptation of the novella by Jacqueline Audry
** ''Gigi'' (1958 film), an American musical by Vince ...
(close to
Djoukou –
Galabadja in
Kémo
Kémo is one of the 16 prefectures of the Central African Republic. Its capital is Sibut.
Notable people
* Andrée Blouin, political activist, human rights advocate, and writer
See also
* Lake Chad replenishment project
* Waterway
A ...
), through
Sibut
Sibut (), formerly Fort Sibut (french: Fort-Sibut) is the capital of Kémo, one of the 16 prefectures of the Central African Republic. An important transport hub, it is situated north of the capital Bangui and is known for its market.
Sibut is ...
,
Bouca
Bouca is a town located in the Central African Republic prefecture of Ouham. It is not far east of Bossangoa at the Fafa river.
History
On 21 March 2013, the town was overtaken by rebels of the Séléka coalition. On 9 September 2013 armed Ant ...
and then to
Batangafo
Batangafo is a town located in the Central African Republic prefecture of Ouham at the confluence of Ouham River and its affluent Fafa.
There is an airport in Bafangafo.
History
In August 2014 heavy clashes erupted in Batangafo between Sélé ...
(over the
Boubou River and into the
Ouham River
The Ouham River is a river in Central Africa, and one of the main headwaters of the Chari River. The Ouham originates in the Central African Republic between the prefecture Nana-Mambéré and the prefecture Ouham-Pendé, crossing into Chad where i ...
and then the
Chari River
The Chari River, or Shari River, is a long river, flowing in Central Africa. It is Lake Chad's main source of water.
Geography
The Chari River flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border f ...
).
This path is the same one used by the CIMA study (water flow 100 m
3/s, the same as the
Moscow Canal
The Moscow Canal (russian: Кана́л и́мени Москвы́), named the Moskva–Volga Canal until 1947, is a canal in Russia that connects the Moskva River with the Volga River. It is located in Moscow itself and in the Moscow ...
), only sizing the channel and adapting the river and
locks
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
to support ships.
Chad-Congo inland waterway
This waterway could link
Lake Chad
Lake Chad (french: Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries. According to the ''Global Resource Information Database'' of the United Nations Environment Programme, ...
with the
Congo River
The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...
inland navigation system and the waterway
transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ground transport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has always been difficult. The terrain and climate of the Congo Basin present serious barriers to road and rail construction, and the distances are enormous across this vast country ...
.
The navigable waterway system in Congo can be upgraded from
Kinshasa
Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...
to
Matadi
Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Kongo Central province, adjacent to the border with Angola. It had a population of 245,862 (2004). Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River, ...
sea port, already planned as an option in the
Inga dams
The Inga Dams are two hydroelectric dams connected to one of the largest waterfalls in the world, Inga Falls. They are located in the western Democratic Republic of the Congo and 140 miles southwest of Kinshasa.
Inga Falls on the Congo Rive ...
project.
As well as it is "feasible" from
Lake Mweru
Lake Mweru (also spelled ''Mwelu'', ''Mwero'') is a freshwater lake on the longest arm of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. Located on the border between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, it makes up of the total length of th ...
(
Pweto
Pweto is a town in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the administrative center of Pweto Territory. The town was the scene of a decisive battle in December 2000 during the Second Congo War which resulted ...
city) through
Luvua River
The Luvua River (or ''Lowa River'') is a river in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It flows from the northern end of Lake Mweru on the Zambia-Congo border in a northwesterly direction for to its confluence with ...
to
Ankoro
Ankoro is a town in Tanganyika province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It lies on the west bank of the Lualaba River opposite the point where it is joined by the Luvua River.
Civil war
Towards the end of the Second Congo War (1998-2003) the co ...
(requiring dams and a
Boat lift
A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock.
It may be vertically moving, like the Anderton boat lift in England, rotational, like ...
in
Boyoma Falls
Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, is a series of seven cataracts, each no more than high, extending over more than along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani (also known as Boyoma) in the ...
, like the
Three Gorges dam ship lift), or the waterway into the
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...
in
Kalemie
Kalemie, formerly Albertville or Albertstad, is a town on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is next to the outflow of the Lukuga River from Lake Tanganyika to the Lualaba River.
History
From 18 ...
through the
Lukuga River
The Lukuga River is a tributary of the Lualaba River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that drains Lake Tanganyika. It is unusual in that its flow varies not just seasonally but also due to longer term climate fluctuations.
Location
...
up to
Kabalo Kabalo is a town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is in Tanganyika province on the Lualaba River and is the administrative center of Kabalo territory.
Transport
Kabalo is the junction of railway lines to the north and to Lake Tanganyi ...
(
Zanza village), now linked by railway.
Description of Inland Waterways in the Congo from the UN Joint Logistics Centre
Other World main channels
A channel from Ubangi to Chari is double the distance of the
Rhine–Main–Danube Canal
The Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (German: ''Rhein-Main-Donau-Kanal''; also called Main-Danube Canal, RMD Canal or Europa Canal), is a canal in Bavaria, Germany. Connecting the Main and the Danube rive ...
, but half the distance of the
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Americ ...
that links the
Great Lakes Waterway
The Great Lakes Waterway (GLW) is a system of natural channels and artificial canals which enable navigation between the North American Great Lakes. Though all of the lakes are naturally connected as a chain, water travel between the lakes was i ...
(waterway from
to
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
), three times the
Moscow Canal
The Moscow Canal (russian: Кана́л и́мени Москвы́), named the Moskva–Volga Canal until 1947, is a canal in Russia that connects the Moskva River with the Volga River. It is located in Moscow itself and in the Moscow ...
(100–130 m
3/s) or
Volga–Don Canal
Lenin Volga–Don Shipping Canal (Russian:Волго-Донской судоходный канал имени, ''В. И. Ленина, Volga-Donskoy soudokhodniy kanal imeni V. I. Lenina'', abbreviated ВДСК, ''VDSK'') is a ship canal in Rus ...
, a third of the
Volga–Baltic Waterway
The Volga–Baltic Waterway (Volgobalt, Волгобалт), formerly known as the Mariinsk Canal System (Russian: Мариинская водная система), is a series of canals and rivers in Russia which link the Volga with the Balti ...
(that form the
Unified Deep Water System of European Russia
The Unified Deep Water System of European Russia (russian: Единая глубоководная система Европейской части Российской Федерации, translit=Yedinaya glubokovodnaya sistema Yevropeyskoy chast ...
), and 5 times shorter than the 1974 Km
Grand Canal (China)
The Grand Canal, known to the Chinese as the Jing–Hang Grand Canal (, or more commonly, as the「大运河」("Grand Canal")), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the longest canal or artificial river in the world. Starting in Beijing, it passes ...
(built during the
Sui dynasty
The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...
).
References
{{reflist
Water supply
Water in the Central African Republic
Electric power in the Central African Republic