Lake Nyos

View of Lake Nyos from on top of the cliffs.

Lake Nyos is well known for the disaster in August 1986 where the lake suddenly "exploded" and killed over 1,700 people and more than 3,500 livestock. Lake Nyos is one of the three "killer lakes" or "exploding lakes": Lake Nyos, Lake Monoun, and Lake Kivu. Lake Nyos and Monoun are both in Cameroon while Lake Kivu is on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. The "killer lakes" are so called because they are saturated with carbon dioxide and if the water of one of these lakes is disturbed the gas can suddenly be released. When this happens it is called a limnic eruption. Both Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos are crater lakes. Crater lakes form in the caldera, or crater/opening, of dormant or extinct volcanoes. There are many crater lakes in Cameroon but only Nyos and Monoun have the potential to have a "limnic" eruption.

Governor's entourage standing at the dam.

I had the chance to visit Lake Nyos on the anniversary of the disaster with the mayor of the North-West region and many other officials and delegates. I was at the Senior Divisional Officer's office one day waiting for a meeting with him, some Peace Corps Admin, and other Peace Corps Volunteers when I found out that I had arrived several HOURS early. So, since the mayor's office was close by I decided to go and introduce myself to some people there for protocol and to see if I could find any information on natural hazards and disasters of the North-West.

I did my protocol and then tried to find anyone who could tell me anything about the types of natural hazards experienced by the North-West. (I was interested because I am currently going for my master's in Mitigation of Natural Hazards, in case you weren't aware). I was not having much luck. Then finally the Head of Protocol told me that the person who dealt with those things was preparing for a very big meeting the next day and that he could take my number and inform me when the person might be available to talk to me. So, I gave him my number and went back to wait for my meeting.

The next day, August 21st, the Head of Protocol called me and told me that there was going to be a very important meeting that day about the very things I was asking about and that it was going to start soon so I should come right away. I was at work so  I asked my counterpart if I could go and I went. When I arrived at the governor's office I was shown into the conference hall and told to sit in the audience. There were camera crews, delegates, the mayor of the North-West region, and many other important people. Apparently it was the anniversary of the Lake Nyos Disaster in 1986 and the government was giving some continuing disaster relief to the people of the affected areas. This meeting was a press conference for the governor of the North-West region to announce what was being given and when, and to announce that he would be  traveling to meet the Senior Divisional Officer and other delegates at Lake Nyos for an official ceremony of handing over the disaster relief. The governor announced that everyone present at that meeting was invited to come to witness the occasion! So, after the meeting I asked just to be sure that I was included in that invitation and I was!

The following morning I went very early to the governor's office to wait for the group to leave. Almost everyone had shown up. I was in the Head of Protocol's truck, the one he was in not his personal one, with the Head of Protocol, the driver, a news reporter, and three camera men. Yes, this was all in one small Toyota pick-up truck. Finally, we were on our way! The drive was to take five hours and we were getting a late start at 9am, especially since we had to make it back the same day. So, the convoy of trucks and cars and SUVs (almost all Toyota, as most vehicles in Cameroon are) went speeding through the jungle, plains, and hills in the sun and streams and mud and rain. Finally we came to the last hill, at the top of which was Lake Nyos. We went up and everyone got out to look around.

Guard houses a Lake Nyos.

There is the lake and some guard houses and barracks. The only people who are up at the lake constantly are some gendarmes. Then there is the small village of Nyos in the valley near the hill. There was one foreigner there, a Spaniard, who had mountain biked all the way through the North-West region and was going to be going all the way through Cameroon.

The lake is in a crater so it is surrounded by cliffs and hills on all sides except at one point where it lets out and a dam has been built. The plan for the dam is to make it a hydro electrical power plant. From the top of the cliffs around the lake the three de-gassing pipes can be seen sticking out of the water at the center of the lake. By using these pipes the dangerous gas in the lake has been reduced by  about 80%.

Cliffs around Lake Nyos.

Once the Mayor had gone down to the dam at the outlet of the lake, he went to the meeting hall and gave a brief presentation. After that it was back into the vehicles to hurry back to Bamenda. Everyone took off, speeding down the hill and over the bumpy, rocky roads! It was a little frightening as we splashed through ponds left by the rain and the cars were showered with the muddy water. Although we had made our visit to Lake Nyos brief we still found ourselves speeding through the jungle in the dark. Finally, at almost 10 pm, we arrived back in Bamenda where a police escort lead us to a hotel where there was a reception dinner waiting. Even though many people were very tired we stayed after the meal until the Mayor left. As soon as he did leave though everyone else rushed out. I found a moto and went home. I was very tired. The day had been very long even though most of it was spent riding in a car. I'm very glad that I got the opportunity to see Lake Nyos and learn so much about the mitigation efforts going on there.