On January 30th 2001, a spectacular 50 m high fountain soared above the peaceful surface of the lake. The demonstration was a total success: a powerful soda spray jet - stable and safe - was switched on and off several times using a remote radio-controlled system.
There are three lakes in the world containing a high proportion of dissolved gas : lakes Nyos and Monoun in Cameroon and Lake Kivu on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This latter contains a thousand times more gas than Lake Nyos. Approximately one fifth of this gas is methane. This is nothing less than an unexploited treasure trove lying dormant in the depths of the lake. The extraction and utilisation of this methane could totally revolutionise the region's economy. The Data Environment Company has undertaken an ambitious program aimed at exploiting this miraculous resource.
You can play a video showing the degassing in action (16Mb)