Why the Rising Water Levels in East Africa's Rift Valley Lakes?

Rift Valley lakes appear to be reclaiming territories they lost millions of years ago. Whatever is happening underneath the Rift Valley has continued to intrigue scientists eager to understand why some of its lakes are overflowing while others are drying up. While no scientific study has yet been published explaining the recent increase in water levels, there has been no doubt that an activity deep into the earth's crust could be triggering this overflow aided, perhaps partially, by human activities. The affected lakes include Turkana in the north, which is overflowing, and Magadi in the South, which is drying up. The unprecedented increase in water levels has also been witnessed in the freshwater lakes of Naivasha and Baringo and the saline lakes of Elmentaita, Nakuru, Bogoria and Logipi.

InFocus

Lake Turkana. Also known as the Jade Sea, Lake Turkana is the most saline lake in East Africa and the largest desert lake in the world (file photo).

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