Lake Tanganyika Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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Lake Tanganyika is the largest of a chain of lakes in the Great Rift Valley in eastern Africa. Geologic processes have formed the extraordinary lakebed. Lake Tanganyika measures 673 kilometers by 15-90 kilometers, covers 32,900 square kilometers, and is the longest lake in the world. With a maximum depth of 1,470 meters, Lake Tanganyika is the second deepest lake in the world next to Lake Baikal. The lake is, therefore, considered the largest freshwater reservoir in Africa. It is also one of the most diverse freshwater ecosystems in the world, with several hundred endemic species.

The lake catchment is relatively small at 220,000 square kilometers, due to the structure of the Great Rift Valley’s steep mountainous ridges. Two main rivers flowing into the lake are the Rusizi, draining Lake Kivu and entering Lake Tanganyika from the north, and the Malagarasi, which enters the lake in the east, draining western Tanzania. In addition, many smaller rivers drain the slopes of the surrounding mountains. There is one major outflow, the Lukuga River, which leaves Lake Tanganyika as a tributary to the Congo River in the west. However, due to the tropical climate, Lake Tanganyika loses most water to evaporation.

The countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia share Lake Tanganyika. Of the lake’s shoreline perimeter, 43 percent is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 36 percent in Tanzania, 12 percent in Zambia, and 9 percent in Burundi. An estimated one million people live on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. The main settlements are Bujumbura (400,000 people), the capital of Burundi; Uvira (100,000) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kigona (135,000) in Tanzania; and Mpulungu (70,000) in Zambia. Economic activity in these urban areas includes industrial plants (such as paint, brewery, textile, soap, and battery plants), cotton processing, sugar production, and industrial fishing. Kigoma is the largest transit point for goods and people entering and exiting the lake region. Lake Tanganyika, with its well-developed shipping routes, is one of the most important inland traffic and communications links in eastern Africa.

Crop and livestock production and processing, and mining (tin, copper, coal), are the main industries in the catchment of Lake Tanganyika. Commercial, as well as small-scale fisheries are particularly important to the local economy and local livelihoods. The fast rate of urbanization is creating severe problems of lake pollution through urban wastewaters. Moreover, overfishing in the coastal zone and habitat destruction are increasing concerns. High rates of soil erosion in the catchment have increased lake sedimentation rates.

The appropriate utilization of natural resources in the catchment has become a priority, particularly since it plays a major role in regional poverty reduction strategies. After centralized systems failed, decentralization of government structures and empowerment of local governments to manage local resources for improving livelihoods is a new policy change in recent years. Commercial water provision, for example, has become a major strategy to improve water coverage. However, partial privatization of urban water providers largely failed, since municipalities and private investors often do not agree on how to pre-finance the investments into a deficient system.

Bibliography:

W. Coulter, Lake Tanganyika and its Life (Oxford University Press, 1991);
Hanek, E.J. Coenen, and P. Kotilainen, Aerial Frame Survey of Lake Tanganyika Fisheries (Food and Agriculture Organization, 1993);
Mills, Pollution Control and Other Measures to Protect Biodiversity in Lake Tanganyika (United Nations Environment Programme, 2000).