WORLD HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE OBSERVING SYSTEM

Lake Chad is the fourth largest lake in Africa after lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi, and the sixth largest lake in the world. Over the past four decades, the lake level has continuously fallen with its surface area shrinking from 25,000 km2 to less than 1,500 km2 and its volume decreasing by close to 60%. As a result, there is wide spread concern among the inhabitants of the region that the lake could again disappear, as it has done in the historical past.

Lake Chad is one of the basins identified for the development of basin wide HYCOS components, as a follow up to the implementation of AOC-HYCOS Pilot Phase. The Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) approached WMO Secretariat and requested WMO’s support in preparing a proposal for Lake Chad-HYCOS. The modality for such cooperation in project development was discussed in detail during a visit of LCBC Executive Secretary to WMO Secretariat in July 2005.

A WMO expert with a staff member carried out a mission to LCBC headquarters in Chad in October 2005 to collect information and material for drafting a project proposal. The draft proposal for Lake Chad-HYCOS, after inclusion of the comments of the participating countries and LCBC, was finalized by WMO and submitted in December 2005 to LCBC, and WMO is currently assisting LCBC to secure funds for its implementation. The LCBC has submitted a request to the African Water Facility (AWF) for funding of the Lake Chad-HYCOS

LAKE CHAD-HYCOS DRAFT PROJECT PROPOSAL -
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