Lake Retba:
The Lake Retba’s waters are virtually devoid of life and are on the verge of disappearing due to pollution and mining.
- Lake Retba is also known as Lac Rose the Pink Lake.
- It is located north of the Cap Vert peninsula of Senegal, northeast of Dakar
- The lake is isolated from the sea by sand dunes.
- Its fresh water comes from the seasonal water table in the dunes, which are higher than the lake.
- Thus, the sea provides most of the lake’s water and all of its salt.
- The Pink Lake is one of the main tourist destinations in the Dakar region, primarily because of the pink colour of its waters.
- The pink coloration is due to the proliferation of halophilic green algae (living in a salty environment), Dunaliella salina, which contain red pigments.
- The algae is associated with halophilic bacteria of the genus Halobacterium.
