The Niger River in Intensive Care

Stretching over more than 4,000 kilometres, the Niger is West Africa's longest river, and greatly threatened in the country of the same name by environmental degradation that is causing the water course to silt up.

"The lack of vegetation along the river prevents water retention during rainfall, and opens the door to soil erosion…So, gullies are created that channel water, sand and all sorts of debris towards the river," says Mahaman Laminou Attaou, national director for the environment in Niger's Ministry of Water Affairs, Environment and the Fight Against Desertification.

This trend has worsened as rains have become more torrential, and now compromises activities such as fishing, irrigation and navigation of the river by boat.

''We no longer have good fishing for much of the year. It has also become impossible to do irrigation because the river no longer has enough water," Abass Sorko, a resident of Kombo in the centre of the country, said.

from IPS via allAfrica.com