Climate change is hitting the African continent hard, and the scale of its impact often goes unnoticed. Lake Chad, a critical lifeline for millions, has shrunk dramatically and now covers only about ten percent of its former surface. The situation is dire, a humanitarian emergency that demands urgent response. Oxfam-Intermón stresses the gravity of the crisis and urges governments to act to prevent widespread deaths in the region.
Nearly all of Lake Chad’s historic surface has vanished, dropping from 25,000 square kilometers to roughly 2,000 square kilometers, an area comparable to the island of Tenerife. The decline continues at a rapid pace. If trends persist, the lake could disappear in the coming years, with devastating consequences for communities that depend on its resources.
Once a vast inland sea, Niger—the region once celebrated as one of Africa’s key freshwater sources—now resembles a mosaic of ponds and parched plains. This transformation, described by analysts, reflects the broader shift seen across the Sahel as water becomes scarcer and droughts grow more frequent.
Lake Chad’s evolution as depicted by UNICEF highlights the magnitude of the change.
According to United Nations assessments, roughly half of Lake Chad’s retreat is linked to climate change, while the remainder stems from inefficient water use for irrigation and domestic needs. The absence of integrated water resource management, coupled with the construction of dams on feeder rivers, has compounded the problem. Levees built by various energy projects have altered water flow, limiting replenishment of the lake itself.
In addition, rising evaporation rates accelerate water loss, challenging the ability of lakeside soils to sustain communities. Shrinking fish stocks, dwindling irrigation reservoirs, and advancing desertification all contribute to growing food insecurity. Poverty and famine are intensifying in step with these environmental pressures.
Oxfam-Intermón emphasizes that without adequate resources or aid, the populations least responsible for global warming face displacement or death.
As the situation worsens, the consequences for livelihoods become clear. The Sahel, including Chad, has seen grain production decline as floods and droughts disrupt planting and harvests. Cattle herds suffer from water and pasture shortages, fueling a cycle of hunger that deepens year after year.
Across the four border countries around the lake, food insecurity affects millions during the dry season, and tens of thousands of children endure severe malnutrition. Humanitarian groups estimate a substantial funding gap is needed to support essential relief efforts, with only a fraction of the required resources currently allocated.
Analysts warn that climate crises no longer arrive as distant threats but as immediate challenges that overwhelm families already scarred by conflict and inequality. The increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters push vulnerable populations toward sharper hunger and greater hardship.
Less water, pasture and livestock
Livelihoods tied to climate and weather are particularly fragile. In Chad and the wider Sahel, major floods and droughts have driven a 25% drop in grain yields. Livestock suffer when water and grazing land fail to meet demand, deepening the cycle of scarcity and need.
In the four border states around the lake, dry-season hunger already touches 5.5 million people, and severe malnutrition affects at least 300,000 children. Humanitarian organizations estimate a funding need in the billions of euros to support life-saving action, yet only a small portion has been provided so far.
Experts describe climate change as a relentless threat that intensifies existing vulnerabilities. The region faces not only environmental stress but also ongoing displacement due to conflict, further straining resources and resilience.
Rising water scarcity, shrinking streams, and expanding sand dunes threaten crop production and access to water for daily use. Local voices describe growing difficulty in sustaining households, with harvests shrinking and the land losing its productivity.
It is clear that without sustained aid and coordinated action, the people of Lake Chad and the surrounding areas will continue to bear the brunt of these intertwined challenges.