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Little Prespa Lake on Albanian-Greek Border slowly dying

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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Little Prespa Lake

At the Albanian-Greek border, Little Prespa Lake is slowly drying.

Why in the News?

At the Albanian-Greek border, Little Prespa Lake is slowly drying.

About Little Prespa Lake

  • Little Prespa Lake, also known as Small Lake Prespa, is located on the Albanian-Greek border.
  • The majority of the lake lies in Greek territory, with the southern tip extending into Albania.
  • The total area of the lake is approximately 450 hectares within Albanian territory, though much of this area has now transformed into swamps or dried up.
  • It is the smaller part of the nearby Great Prespa Lake, which lies to the south.
  • Historically, the lake was fed by snowmelt and precipitation, but these have reduced significantly due to climate change and human intervention.
  • In the 1970s, communist authorities in Albania diverted the Devoll River for agricultural irrigation around the city of Korca.
  • This diversion significantly reduced the water inflow to the lake, beginning its ecological decline.

Impact of Little Prespa Lake’s Drying

  • The drying has led to the collapse of the fishing industry, depriving locals of their primary livelihood.
  • The once-thriving aquatic ecosystem has transformed into a marshland, resulting in biodiversity loss as fish populations vanish.
  • The diversion of the Devoll River for agricultural purposes has exacerbated the lake’s decline.
  • The lake could completely disappear if current trends continue, threatening the region’s environmental and economic stability.

PYQ:

[2018] Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities?

1. Aral Sea

2. Black Sea

3. Lake Baikal

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 2 only

(d) 1 and 3

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