Lake Titicaca Receding Has Indigenous People Worried About Drought

HUARINA BOLIVIA - The feet of a septuagenarian sink into the soil as he meanders past forsaken vessels in the area that once housed the waters of Lake Titicaca. According to Bolivian officials, the renowned highest navigable lake on the planet has diminished to alarmingly low levels, a consequence of continuous drought.

Jaime Mamani, a local community leader in Huarina, a rural town located 43 miles west of La Paz, voices his frustration, “It’s completely parched,” as he strolls along the newly defined shoreline.

The National Service of Naval Hydrography has announced an alert this week for the famed lake following a 0.8 inch drop below the drought warning stage, placing it at an altitude of,492.7 feet above sea level. The organization warns, however, that this is merely the onset of a situation causing grave concern among Indigenous Aymara communities who depend on the lake for their subsistence, fearing the persistent aridity could inflict irreversible damage on the region’s plant and animal life.

Bolivia’s naval hydrology division has alerted that in the ensuing months, the water levels may plummet to historical lows. By December, the likelihood is high that Lake Titicaca will be over 25 inches beneath the drought warning level, surpassing the record low-water mark established in 1998 by nearly 13 inches.

“In three months, the water has decreased by 30 centimeters (11.8 inches), and considering that radiation is much stronger during this time of the year … we expect it to keep decreasing,” Carlos Carrasco, a hydraulic engineer for the hydrography service said.

Lucía Walper, the head of the Hydrological Forecasting Unit at Bolivia’s National Meteorology and Hydrology Service, ascribes the drought to a conjunction of elements. These include natural events such as La Niña and El Niño, which emerged uncharacteristically early this year and have demonstrated remarkable strength, partially due to the effects of climate change.

Nonetheless, this expansive lake holds significant importance for the Bolivian highlands region, where hundreds of Aymara rural settlements have depended on this azure expanse for thousands of years for small-scale farming and livestock rearing. Officials in the Peruvian city of Puno, too, have raised alarms over the depleting water levels, expressing apprehension about the possible repercussions on tourism.

“We’re reaching a critical point. There will be a significant loss of water,” said Juan José Ocola, president of the Binational Authority of Lake Titicaca. The lake serves as the border between Bolivia and Peru.

A fisherman who has lived off the lake for 28 years, Mateo Vargas, 56, claimed he used to catch “lots” of fish every day. He now considers himself fortunate if he catches six fish.

Justina Condori, Vargas’ wife, understands his worries. Condori, 58, declared, “The fish have vanished,” foretelling famine if the situation continues.

Condori earns her livelihood by renting boats to tourists. She expresses concern that the dwindling visitor numbers will impact the tourism around the lake, which, at an altitude of 12,500 feet above sea level, is the largest freshwater body in the Andes.

The signs of the lake’s decline are unmistakable. Women who retail fried fish and other lakeside snacks are grappling with escalating ingredient costs. Similarly, individuals whose income relies on ferrying people across the lake are modifying their routes since their rafts and boats no longer make it to their usual docking points.

The livelihoods of livestock farmers, who depend on the vegetation along the Titicaca shoreline to feed their animals, are also under threat.

According to Mamani, the ensuing economic strain is compelling many Huarina residents to relocate to different parts of the country, leaving predominantly elderly inhabitants behind. The Titicaca waters have always been shallow around the town, thus the drought’s impact is even more starkly visible.

“There is a detriment to the economy of the inhabitants of the region,” he said.

Vargas, a fisherman, is worried about what the future would hold as a result of the water levels dropping. “It looks like it will continue to decrease, day by day,” he said. “We’re worried because if we continue like this, what’s going to happen to our children?”