Anthropogenic Drying of Lakes in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

Soils and forests are deteriorating; grazing lands are degraded; water points, sources, and lakes are drying, and underground water levels diminished. This could largely be attributed to traditional inappropriate resource management methods; severe soil erosion and degradations reducing infiltration and resulting in sedimentation of water sources and lake basins. Bad cultivation practices, burning and cutting of perennial vegetation, overgrazing and grass fires increase runoff. This causes soil erosion and consequently sediment transport to the lake, which results in the decrease of its storage capacity and quality of stored water. Shallow and groundwater dependent Lakes has experiencing shrinkage and some of them are vanished due to different reasons, such as human activities, climate change and related which can contribute to the declining of Lake Ecosystem.