Among the chain of lakes on the bottom of the western Great Rift Valley, Lake Tanganyika stands out for its extraordinary north-south extension and depth. With its large size and high biodiversity, Lake Tanganyika is of great social, economic, political and environmental significance to neighboring countries. However, the water quality of the lake is on the decline due to the mounting environmental challenges it faces. Chinese scientists under the UNEP-China-Africa Cooperation Program on Environment are working closely with African partners to find out the sources of the pollution and possible solutions with a focus on water quality monitoring and treatment.

Lake concerns

One of the world's greatest lakes, Lake Tanganyika is shared by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Burundi and Zambia. At more than 1,432 meters, it is considered the second deepest lake in the world.

The lake possesses high biodiversity value and is home to at least 250 varieties of fish, including brilliantly colored cichlid fishes which are exported for aquariums and fish tanks around the world. Altogether, over 1,300 species of fish, invertebrates and plants have been recorded, some 500 of which do not occur anywhere else. The rich diversity of this ecosystem is of worldwide interest and importance.

Among the 10 million people living in the lake basin, around 1 million depend wholly on fishing the lake for their livelihood. Fishermen, whose ancestors have fished the lake for centuries, are noticing a drop in fish stocks compared to past years. The lake is facing mounting environmental problems that not only impact on the lake life, but also on the people dependent on the lake for their livelihood.

Serious environmental threats currently face the lake. The most immediate threats to the lake environment is pollution from excess loads of sediment and nutrients caused by erosion in the watershed, industrial and urban pollution, and intensive fishing with inappropriate methods.

In addition, Lake Tanganyika has been warming up between 0.6 and 1 degree Celsius for the last four decades, leading to a change in the lake habitat partly because of excessive evaporation rates. Such changes in the chemical and biological parameters of the water are impacting the water quality of the lake.

The superstar lake that once attracted people with its breathtaking scenery and amazing biodiversity now draws more attention with its pressing environmental problems and worrisome future.

Practical solutions

Every year, scientists from around the globe flood in with funds from various sources. As an emerging donor, China has also come to help, but in a slightly different approach than the commonly-practiced direct financial assistance. The Chinese seem more concerned about training the local people, or in more technical terms, capacity building.

In cooperation with UNEP, governmental authorities, NGOs and other research institutes in Africa, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the only institute specializing in the research of lake-basin systems in China, has been taking the lead to solve the water quality problems facing the lake under the UNEP-China-Africa Cooperation Program on Environment.

According to Chen Shuang, the manager of the project, capacity building is more important than simple material assistance. "To help the Africans protect their lake on their own is exactly what we are trying to achieve. The modality is so much more than mere financial support," she said.

As a general principle of the whole program, the cooperation between UNEP, China and Africa focuses on diverse models such as joint research, training courses, scholar exchange programs, educational program and equipment donations. This particular project is no exception. To date, around 20 professionals and officials from the four countries bordering the lake and representatives of the related NGOs have received training on water monitoring and management. Two scholars from the DRC and Tanzania were invited to Nanjing for further training and joint research. Lab equipment was donated to two labs in Tanzania and Burundi for instrument upgrading.

"The Chinese team has been doing great work for Lake Tanganyika," commented Nshombo Muderhwa, the National Coordinator for the Biodiversity Special Study in the DRC.

Right now, the Chinese team led by Chen is in Burundi to implement phase two of the project.

(Mohamed A.S. Abdel-Monem is the Regional Team Leader of Ecosystem Management in ROA/UNEP and the focal point for the Program from UNEP. Ms. Tian Ping is the program assistant in ROA - www.unep.org/roa)