The Lost Lake by Fatma Fahmy

Lake Qarun, located in the Fayoum in south west Egypt, is one of the oldest lakes in the world, containing fossils that are millions of years old. During the Pharaonic era, flooding meant that this low-lying lake was supplied with freshwater from the Nile, but since the start of the 20th Century it has grown increasingly saline. Various fish species have already disappeared due to increased pollution and changes to the climate, and the health of Lake Qarun and the wildlife within it are now seriously endangered by its rising saline level, which is higher than that of seawater. To compound this, a parasitic infection has spread throughout the lake, which has negatively impacted fish production and quality, thereby harming the fishing community in Fayoum: the number of fishing boats operating in the lake has decreased from 605 to just 10 boats. This project attempts to explore the lives of the fishermen residing in the village of Ezbat Soliman, near Lake Qarun, and how the lake’s pollution affects them.