News: Two large lakes (Lakes Mai Ndombe and Tumba) in the Democratic Republic of Congo are releasing carbon that has been locked away for thousands of years in surrounding peatlands which could pose a threat to climate stability.
About Congo Lakes – Lakes Mai Ndombe and Tumba
About Lake Mai Ndombe
- Lake Mai Ndombe is Africa’s largest blackwater lake and forms part of the Congo River Basin.
- Location: It is located in western Democratic Republic of Congo.
- It lies within the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe area, the largest Wetland of International Importance recognized by the Ramsar Convention in the world.
- Size: It covers about 2,300 sq. km.
- It measures roughly 130 km in length and up to 40 km in width.
- Rivers associated with: The lake drains southward through the Fimi River into the Kasai River.
- Features:
- It is shallow in depth and irregular in shape.
- It has low, forested shores and can double or even triple in size during the rainy season.
- It is bordered by vast swamp forests and largely undisturbed lowland rainforest growing atop deep peat deposits.
- It is also characterised by dark “black water,” caused by tannins and dissolved organic matter from decaying vegetation and peat.
- Main port: Inongo which is located on its eastern shore, serves as the main port.
About Lake Tumba
- Location: Lake Tumba is located in the northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo and forms part of the Congo River Basin.
- It lies about 120 km northwest of Lake Mai-Ndombe.
- Size: The lake covers around 500 sq. km and has a shallow depth of about 6–20 feet (2–6 m).
- Rivers associated with: It drains into the Congo River through the Irebu Channel, opposite the river’s junction with the Ubangi River.
- Features:
- Lake Tumba forest is the largest swamp forest in the world and the second largest wetland in the world.
- Lake Tumba is surrounded by seasonally or permanently inundated forest.
- The lake is extremely shallow and receives much of its nutrient input from small blackwater forest streams that flow from the surrounding, inundated swamps into the lake.
