Challenges of Adaptive Water Management in the Lake Chad Basin

The focus of this paper is the Lake Chad Basin in the Sahelian region of Africa. The Sahel, like most dry and arid regions is projected to have reduced rainfall (IPCC, 2007). The Lake Chad is dependent on the flow of two main rivers with over 90% of its source being provided by the Chari-Lagone river basin; the rest is supplied by Yobe river basin (LCBC, 2000). The flow of these rivers has apparently reduced over the years and as a consequence the water levels in the lake has dropped considerably. A number of causes have been identified for the shrinkage of the lake and categorised as environmental and social-economic activities in the area (Ayuba & Dami, 2011); the dominant environmental factor being reduced rainfall. The current situation of the lake is such that efforts are required to protect what remains of it and to possibly regenerate somehow to its original status. One key way of achieving this is through the concept of Adaptive Water Management. The aim of this paper is identify the dominant challenges to applying AWM in Lake Chad by looking at the following key areas: Environmental conditions of the region, Weak Institutional Frame work and Damming of Rivers Upstream of Lake Chad. It has been observed that Climate change and variability has negative impact on the Lake Chad basin. Studies have confirmed that particularly the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa are the most vulnerable areas to climate variability and change because of multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity (Osman-Elasha, 2007; IPCC 2007). The effect of climate change, coupled with several anthropogenic effects, is one of the main causes of the severe depletion of the Lake. Inadequate observation of climatic data limits the regional diagnostic analysis and the dearth of information on climatic change forecasting hinders the capability to detect the negative effects of climate change on non-adapted human communities. One of the greatest challenges of adaptive water management in the lake Chad region is the problem weak institutional framework of the institution that protect water resources in the basin which is the lake Chad basin Commission, LCBC as the only intergovernmental river basin organization in the Lake Chad basin was created on 22 May 1964 and is headquartered in Fort Loamy, now N'Djamena. Another Challenge to adaptive water management is incorporation of the indigenous people in to the management and planning water management in the basin, The Indigenous people has to be taken into consideration in other to have adaptive water management, they have adequate knowledge about various ways in which water is being manage through local indigenous knowledge, the knowledge been used for thousands of years by the indigenous people and passed from one generation to another. Indigenous people live close to the resources, observe activities and are the first to identify any change and adapt to them. Another challenge to adaptive water management in the Lake Chad basin is Dam construction. Which is the artificial modification of river, Most of the dams in the upstream of lake chad basin have been dammed for irrigation and other activities, such as the Logone in Cameroon and the Komadugu-Yobe in Nigeria, further altered the hydrological pattern in the Lake Chad basin.