In spite of warnings, it seems that Bolivia’s Lake Poopo might be gone forever as the body of water is now almost completely dry. It’s an unfortunate picture of things that could come in lieu of the global warming crisis. More might suffer the same fate.
2% of its former glory
Lake Poopó is the second largest lake in Bolivia, and yet it now stands as a mere puddle of what it used to be. Due to environmental changes and human-caused environmental damages, the water is all but gone. According to Dirk Hoffman, it’s now at just 2% of what it used to be and around 75% of all its species have abandoned it.
The lake stands at 12,000 feet above sea level in the semi-arid regions of the Andean plains. Its main source, the Desaguadero River, has been cut off by industry, which means that there’s little hope for recovery. It’s certainly not the first time Lake Poopó dried, but it often managed to rebound at incredible sizes. Reportedly, it could find itself replenished with water twice the size of Los Angeles.
However, experts now believe that such a thing is no longer possible. Lake Poopó may be lost forever.
The blame falls on numerous environmental factors, such as climate change, disappearing glaciers, droughts, and the damaging activity of El Nino. Drought is considered to be the main driving force behind the official declaration of the lake’s “evaporation”. Furthermore, human activities, such as agriculture and tin mining have also called upon its resources until it was left dry. The water has been mismanaged and redirected until there was unfortunately nothing left.
Now, there lies a heap of dirt and dried mud. With the lake’s fate, around 100 families have sold their livestock from surrounding farms, setting aside the fishing gear and fishnets. The village of Untavi has been abandoned by around half its population, with over 3,250 people requiring humanitarian aid for the purpose of surviving after their loss.
Small potential for recovery
According to local leader, Angel Flores, something could have been done to prevent such a disaster. The mining operations have been diverting Lake Poopó’s water since 1982, depriving it of resources. Bolivia has asked the European Union for $140 million in order to create water treatment plants around the lake, but it’s unlikely it will bring it back.
Experts fear it might be too little too late, and they do not believe they will see the azure of Lake Poopó ever again.
Image source: buzzfed.com