HE Titicaca It is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is located at an altitude of approximately 3,800 meters above sea level and has a total area of more than 8,500 square kilometers.. Located between Bolivia and Peru, this region serves as a natural border between both countries. However, since the water level in Lake Titicaca is around 100,000, alarms have begun to ring in this part of the planet. six centimeters below historical minimum -Registered in 1996- Due to intense drought affecting Bolivia and other surrounding countries.
The region is going through a complex situation combination of climate change and the El Niño phenomenon, characterized by a lack of rain. Drought and rising temperatures also accelerated the melting of glaciers in the Andes; According to experts, this scenario could also have consequences for the country’s food and hydropower security.
Hugo Mamani, director of Bolivia’s National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (Semanhi), told the media that the water level in Titicaca continues to fall: in early October, the water level reached the historical minimum recorded in 1996.
While the height of the millimeter ruler placed in Lake Titicaca in 1996 was 2.99 meters, it is now 2.93 meters..
“It’s six centimeters and it’s slowly coming down, it’s evaporating, we have water loss due to evaporation and we have more solar radiation,” said National Meteorological and Hydrological Service director (Semanhi). of Bolivia.
A new study analyzing satellite images between 1992 and 2020 found that Lake Titicaca Approximately 120 million metric tons of water are lost each yearmainly due to lack of rainfall and runoff.
More than three million people live around this lake and benefit from its waters for fishing or farming, as well as tourism, visiting this area of magnificent natural beauty.
Reforestation campaigns
For now it is planned to stop the progression of this problem Carrying out reforestation campaigns next to the lake Thus, the humidity of the space is maintained, which helps stop the evaporation of water due to solar radiation.
But if this works, the lake will be slow to recover. With the start of rains, the flow is expected to increase “little by little” and the water level is expected to return to normal in 2025.
The Bolivian Government reports that it is around 200 thousand 871 families were affected by drought He said the Oruro mountain region was declared a disaster, while La Paz, Cochabamba and Chuquisaca regions were in a “state of emergency”. At the same time, 144 of Bolivia’s more than 330 municipalities declared themselves in a state of disaster.
This situation also creates concern in the economic field, albeit in the short term. The decrease in the number of tourists visiting this region, It is one of the most well-known places in the country and attracts a large number of visitors, both local and foreign, every year.
In addition, communities that make their living from fishing observe with concern how the decrease in water levels contributes to global warming. Water pollution and overfishing.
CNN reported that agriculture is also suffering from drought. The vast majority of local staple crops of quinoa and potatoes were affected, as well as oats used to feed livestock.
The country’s meteorological authorities remind that current El Niño conditions may last at least until February 2024.
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Contact address of the environmental department:[email protected]