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Story Publication logo August 14, 2014

Kenya: Africa's Most Ambitious Dam Project Could Destroy Its Biggest Desert Lake

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Turkana, Kenya. Image by Guillaume Bonn. Kenya, 2014.
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Turkana in Kenya’s arid north is the most important place you’ve likely never heard of...

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Media file: laketurkana.png
Lake Turkana. Image by Marc Hofer. Kenya, 2014.

Kenya's Lake Turkana is the world's biggest desert lake, a vital source of life for humans and animals alike. But its lifeline is about to be cut by a push for development.

Ethiopia, which borders Kenya, is building Africa's largest hydro-electric power project, damming the Omo River, Lake Turkana's primary source of water.

Losing the lake could not only mean wiping out a unique and delicate ecosystem that acts as the breeding grounds for millions of flamingos and supports the worlds largest population of Nile crocodiles. It could also deprive the communities around Lake Turkana of their livelihood — and jeopardize the region's fragile peace.

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