River Niger could dry up due to climate change

River Niger which is the third longest river in Africa, could disappear due to climate change effects and especially silting of its river bed in Kankan region, eastern Guinea, an environmental expert warned on Sunday.

Measuring 4,280 kilometers with a basin that is spread over 2.2 million square kilometers, river Niger whose origin is in Faranah region in southeast Conakry, passes through a number of African countries that include Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin and Nigeria where it drains into the Atlantic Ocean.

Due to environmental degradation because of climate change and the negative impact of human activities, river Niger has been slowly drying up, something that could have devastating consequences in coming years, environmentalist Douty Conde said.

Uncontrolled cutting of trees, destruction of forests along the river as well as misuse of the soil around the river, are at the base of this deplorable situation.

In May 2015, the Guinean and Malian governments signed an agreement to implement an integrated project that was aimed at saving river Niger, through Dutch support.

To address some of the causes of drying up of the river such as indiscriminate cutting of trees, Guinean authorities have promised to integrate biodiversity in the national development priorities. Endit