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Life

Tree of life: Giant baobab turned into living water tank in Madagascar

By Bethan Ackerley

13 November 2019

MEET Malaindrano, a giant baobab tree hollowed out to store water. It grows in Ampotaka, a village in the Mahafaly plateau region of Madagascar, where there are 300 baobabs for every 475 people. Each tree has a name and a family responsible for protecting it.

Malaindrano means “he who hates water”. In fact, this baobab doesn’t hate water at all, but it is so big many people believe it has never been completely filled.

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Even semi-full, the trees are a vital store of water in one…

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