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Lake Nyos is one of the popular lakes of Cameroon and is associated with the massive destruction of Mount Oku. Lake Nyos is the particular site where the gas-release event of August 21,1986 occurred creating a minimum of 1700 human death and 845 people were injured. The emission of massive magnetic carbon dioxide created irregular waves that stripped the peninsula's vegetation. The position of the Lake Nyos is actually inside of the crater of one of the maars (volcanic crater filled with water) which is about 400 year old and the explosive eruption of carbon dioxide is responsible for the formation of maars. Lake Nyos is approximately 5,900 feet wide and 682 feet deep.
Recently after so many massive destructions the Lake Nyos is now being constantly monitored and the level of carbon dioxide is also measured. An international team of engineers and scientists studied and tested the procedure to degas (remove the gas) the lower part of the Lake Nyos and the project is soon to began. The project would have begun earlier but the volcanic rock which is the natural dam to hold the water of the Lake is actually weak.
Other than Lake Nyos two other lakes are there which contains high proportion of carbon dioxide and they are namely Lake Monoun in Cameroon and Lake Kivu in the border between Rawanda and Congo. Lake Monoun contains the highest proportion of gas and approximately one fifth of it is Methane. The extraction and utilization of Methane can change the regions economy totally. Thus the
Lake Nyos of Cameroon need to get channelized to allow the excess water to drain as it will reduce the wall pressure and minimize the occurrence of disaster.
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