La Paz, Sep 18 (Prensa Latina) A drought warning may be declared for Lake Titicaca because its water level is only 15 inches higher than what would oblige authorities to declare an emergency, the Bolivian Naval Hydrography Department confirmed.
This extreme situation usually occurs every eight to 12 years, but lake levels are now tending to drop considerably compared to previous periods, said department director Jorge Espinoza.
The phenomenon is related to a lack of rain in this region, home to the second largest lake in South America after Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, and because its feeder rivers are low, also due to drought.
These low levels in the highest navigable lake in the world, with banks in Bolivia and Peru, is accompanied by a decrease in the flow of the Desaguadero River, which irrigates the northern highlands of Bolivia and is the main affluent of Poopo Lake, the only saltwater lake in the area, and located 3,686 meters above sea level.
Low water levels are also affecting the hydrographic basins of the Amazon, the Plata, and the northern Beni, a more troubling case because its waters are eight feet below normal levels, according to Espinoza. |