Nigeria fishing river reels from changing climate

Argungu, Nigeria: People along the Matan Fada in northwest Nigeria remember the river s abundance as being typified by fish literally falling from the...

Argungu, Nigeria: People along the Matan Fada in northwest Nigeria remember the river's abundance as being typified by fish literally falling from the trees, but those days are gone.

The waterway, which was home to a UNESCO-listed fishing festival, is disappearing, locals say, as rainfall plunges and temperatures rise as part of the impact of climate change.

Husaini Makwashi, 42, a fishing community leader in the riverside town of Argungu, said he had not seen migratory birds such as pelicans and a water duck species, locally called dumulmulu, in a while.

"When a certain bird (species) arrived, it meant that the rainy season was approaching and people would start repairing their roofs and preparing their fields," he said.

Sat on the edge of the Sahel, a semi-arid belt stretching along the Sahara desert's southern rim, Argungu in Kebbi State is vulnerable to climate change, experts say.