Oguta lake

Oguta lake
Geographical location	Imo State , Nigeria
Tributaries	River Njaba, Utu and Awbuna
Drain	River Orashi → Niger → Atlantic Ocean
Places on the shore	Oguta Ameshi Oguta
Data
Coordinates	5 ° 42 ′ 0 ″  N , 6 ° 48 ′ 0 ″  E Coordinates: 5 ° 42 ′ 0 ″  N , 6 ° 48 ′ 0 ″  E
Altitude above sea level	50  m
surface	1.8-5 km²
length	1.8-2.5 km
width	1-2 km
volume	0.25 km³ (max)
Maximum depth	8 m
Middle deep	5.5 m
particularities	Niger Delta

Lake Oguta is the largest natural inland lake in the Nigerian state of Imo .

location

Oguta Lake, the second largest natural lake in southern Nigeria, is also called Ogbuide or Uhamiri by the local population . It is located in the north of the Niger Delta and has been a part of the 572.26 hectare protected area of ​​international importance since 2008, according to the Ramsar Convention , and its size depends on the season. It reaches its greatest extent of about three square kilometers during the flood season of the Niger; during this time it has a coastline of ten kilometers. Lake Oguta has a relatively large tourist potential in the Niger Delta, which is otherwise dominated by oil production. Around 17,000 tourists come to the lake every year.

One of the special features is the mouth of the lake in the Urashi River (also called Ulashi or Orashi) in the west. The brown water of the Urashi and the bright blue of the lake do not mix for a long time. The town of Oguta is located on the east bank . The lake was used during the Biafra War 1967-1970 by boats of the Navy Biafra military.

The wreck of a Nigerian gunboat on the golf course clubhouse is a reminder of the times of the civil war. A bunker of the Biafrian warlord Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu can also be visited there.

use

The tourist infrastructure includes a three-star motel founded by the former member of the government, Ukpabi Asika , and a golf course in accordance with international regulations.

The former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim , was already trying to expand it as a tourist center under the name Oguta Wonderlake , after which his successor Rochas Okorocha renamed the lake the Blue Lake of Treasure . Among other things, a loan for this tourist development led to controversy. According to newspaper reports, the opening ceremony of the renovated motel and the golf course had consumed a large part of the financial resources.

Environmental problems include increasing pollution from untreated municipal sewage such as silting up from erosion. The area was already used in the days of the United Africa Company (UAC) for palm oil production in large-scale plantations. The former piers of the UAC are still preserved. The original tropical forests have largely been cut down or are in a not particularly good condition due to the use of slash and burn. The religious worship of the lake is one of the starting points for increased environmental protection measures.

ecology

The lake is considered to be one of the most biodiverse inland waters in Nigeria. There are around 258 species of phytoplankton from 107 genera . There are around 40 species of fish in the lake, including the genera Chrysichthys , Lates , Alestes , Tilapia , Citharinus , Mormyrus , Synodontis and Schilbe . There is an extensive tropical rainforest in the surrounding, southern areas of the lake . An important habitat for the threatened Nigerian blue-necked monkey ( Cercopithecus sclateri ) is located in the rainforest southwest of the lake .

Literary reception

The author Flora Nwapa (1931-1993) described the lake in her 1966 novel Efuru . She addresses the mother and sea goddess Ogbuide (in the novel Uhamiri).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Entry on Ogutasee ( Memento of the original from October 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the website of the ILEC (English) 
2. ↑ Journal of Fisheries International, 2011, Vol. 6–1, pp. 26–30, doi: 10.3923 / jfish.2011.26.30 , Analysis of Ichthyofaunal Diversity and Peculiarities of Some Lakes in Nigeria, by IY Yem, RL Bwala, NO Bankole, MO Olowosegun, and A. Yaji
3. ↑ worldlakes.org
4. ↑ ^{a b} OgutaLocal government area of ​​Imo State ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
5. ↑ Oguta as Blue Lake City ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ ^{a b c d} Chris Njoku: Oguta Lake project stirs controversy. In: National Mirror Online , December 16, 2012.
7. ↑ The Annotated Ramsar List: Nigeria ( Memento of October 12, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
8. ↑ Gunkoya: Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands (RIS) - 2006-2008 Version ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF document; 139 kB) (English) 
9. ↑ MI Odigi, CS Nwadiaro Geophysical limnology of lake Oguta in Southeastern Nigeria with notes on its possible origin (English)
10. ^ Emory University
11. ↑ Gloria Chuku: Igbo women and economic transformation in southeastern Nigeria, 1900-1960 , Routledge 2005, ISBN 0-415-97210-8 , p. 26