# African Great Lakes Hold More Than a Quarter of Surface Freshwater 2026-08-06T14:26:11+00:00 | Health & Science | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Africa’s Great Lakes contain more than 25% of the world’s surface freshwater and support over 50 million people across ten countries, according to The Times of India. The lakes provide food and jobs, feed rivers including the Nile, Congo and Zambezi, and contain more than 10% of global freshwater fish species. Lake Victoria is the world’s second-largest freshwater lake by surface area, while Lake Tanganyika ranks second for depth and volume. A Nature assessment, based on over 20 years of research by more than 1,000 experts, found the highest concentration of threatened freshwater species around Lake Victoria. Nearly a third of freshwater crabs, crayfish and shrimp face threats. Pollution, overfishing, deforestation, land conversion, water extraction, dams and climate change are placing pressure on the lakes. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: African Great Lakes, biodiversity, climate change, conservation, freshwater Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/african-great-lakes-hold-more-than-quarter-of-surface-freshwater/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/african-great-lakes-hold-more-than-quarter-of-surface-freshwater/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.