Judgement day for Africa’s flamingos

02-11-2007

http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2007/11/Lake_Natron.html

The enormous clouds of pink flamingos that grace the
skies of East Africa and ring the edges of some of its
most scenic lakes with a bright band of living colour
may soon be a thing of the past if the path is cleared
today (November 2) for a major industrial development
on a remote and isolated lake in Africa’s Great Rift
Valley.

Officials in Tanzania are to assess plans for a soda
ash plant on Lake Natron, the globe’s single most
important breeding site for the Near Threatened Lesser
Flamingo, where more than a million of these beautiful
birds nest.

They will advise Environment Minister Mark Mwandosya
on whether to allow Lake Natron Resources, jointly
owned by the Tanzanian Government and the Indian
company TATA Chemicals, to pump more than 100,000
litres of freshwater and 550,000 litres of brine
(saltwater) from the area every hour, for the
production of soda ash, a material used in glass and
dye production.

More details at:
http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2007/11/Lake_Natron.html

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