Lake Chad, once the world’s eleventh-largest lake, has seen its surface area shrink dramatically over the past several decades. In 1963, the lake spanned about 26,000 square kilometers—roughly the size of countries like Israel or the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Today, its surface area is less than 1,500 square kilometers, a drop of nearly 90%. Satellite data confirm this steep decline, showing the lake’s size reduced from about 25,000 square kilometers to just 2,000 square kilometers over the last 40 years. The shrinking of Lake Chad is primarily due to a combination of human activity and climate change. About half of the lake’s loss since the 1960s is attributed to human use of water, particularly for irrigation in agriculture. Between 1983 and 1994, irrigation in the region quadrupled, significantly draining the lake and its main tributaries, the Chari and Logone. This has created a paradox: while irrigation was intended to improve food security, it has also contributed to the degradation of the very water source that sustains farming and fishing in the region. Lake Chad is a vital resource for nearly 40 million people living across four countries in the Lake Chad Basin. In the 1960s, the lake supported around 135 fish species and provided over 200,000 tons of fish annually, a crucial source of food and income. However, the shrinking lake has not only economic consequences but also contributes to regional instability. Reduced water levels, combined with climate change and the construction of dams, have intensified competition over resources. This has fueled tensions between herding and farming communities, and added pressure to an already fragile region dealing with the rise of groups like Boko Haram. Efforts to manage the situation have included regional cooperation through the Lake Chad Basin Commission. However, these efforts have come too late to prevent the lake’s dramatic decline. Each country’s pursuit of securing its own water resources through dams and irrigation projects has contributed to a shared crisis. Recent studies suggest that the lake’s surface area has not continued to shrink at the same rate in the last 20 years, fluctuating with seasonal changes and groundwater levels. While some research indicates that rising groundwater levels might prevent the lake from completely drying up, it remains a fraction of its former size, and the growing population along its shores continues to strain its resources.