Lakes of West Africa | | Chary's Lectures on PYQs & Polity

Q: Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert?

Lake Faguibine Quick Verdict: Lake Faguibine, located in Mali (West Africa), was once one of the region's largest lakes but has almost completely dried up and turned into a desert due to prolonged droughts and the southward expansion of the Sahara. The other options are either geographically incorrect (Lake Victoria is in East Africa) or remain significant, active bodies of water. Why was the question asked? Historical Hydrology: Located north of the Niger River, the lake was historically fed by the annual overflows of the Niger River during the rainy season, which traveled through a network of smaller lakes and channels to fill Faguibine's basin. When full, it was among the largest lakes in West Africa. The Decline: The lake's decline began during the severe and prolonged droughts that struck the Sahel region in the 1970s and 1980s. The Current Affairs Trigger: In 2021, it was reported that the lake was entirely dry and its former lakebed transformed into a sandy desert environment, deeply impacting the local communities that once relied on it for fishing and agriculture.

Geography › Physical Geography (World) Year 2022 Q. 1 24 of 64 in this theme

Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert?

(a) Lake Victoria
(b) Lake Faguibine
(c) Lake Oguta
(d) Lake Volta