Lake Natron In Tanzania’ The Medusa Water that turns Animals into Stone

There are few places on Earth that can compare to the harshness of this body of water. The unique Lake Natron In Tanzania gets its hue from salt-loving bacteria that flourish in the alkaline water.

It is home to a unique endemic fish species called the alkaline tilapia.

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Lake Natron in Tanzania: A Brief Overview

The Natron Lake in Tanzania’s Arusha Region contains a salt or soda lake, which can be found in the region.

Alkaline water in Lake Natron has a pH of 10.5, making it chaotic for animals. Alkalinity in the lake’s water is due to the presence of sodium carbonate and other minerals that flow into it from the surrounding hills.

Natron Lake in Tanzania has large sodium carbonate deposits that makes it practically unbearable to swim.

Despite the fact that most human communities have grown up around rivers and lakes throughout history, Natron Lake in Tanzania tells a story of a location no one ever desired to call their own.

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The Natron Lake in Tanzania is a major and regular breeding ground for world’s Lesser Flamingos birds.

Flamingos bring in money for Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Kenya via tourism. A soda ash facility near Lake Natron would have a significant impact on the livelihoods of the local community, which makes an annual revenue of half a million dollars.

Resources in Lake Natron

Tata Chemicals Ltd proposed a $450 million industrial plant in partnership with the Tanzanian government to recover soda from Natron Lake in Tanzania.

Infrastructure for the plant’s new soda ash factory would include a new road and rail network. The Lake’s natural deposit would be utilized to produce sodium bicarbonate, which is used in a variety of industrial applications.

Sodium carbonate, the chemical name for soda ash, is a key ingredient in the creation of glass, detergents, and other industrial chemicals.

It is also used in the textile industry for dyeing cotton and other fibers.

Source Credit: livescience.com allafrica.com