Bolivia’s second-largest lake has vanished

A fisherman who had depended on Lake Poopó for his livelihood now stands at its dry banks. Image credit: Maurico Lima/National Geographic

For centuries uncounted, locals depended on Lake Poopó, a large saline lake in the Altiplano Mountains, Bolivia, for sustenance and transport. Once the second-largest lake in the country, sprawling over some 2,848km², the waterbody has had a history of reducing and resurging. But it practically disappeared in late 2015 due to water diversions and intense weather, according to National Geographic.

Numerous lakes around the world a common challenge in climate change. The change can bring about alterations to natural habitats, interrupt food chains, and lead to extreme weather patterns that drive people from their homes. While war is still a huge factor in forced migration today, climate change is also a major player.

An estimated 75 per cent of the global workforce in agriculture, energy, fishing, and transport depend on water for their livelihoods, according to a report the United Nations published in 2016. And if their source of water dries up, their livelihoods follow.


Sources: United Nations, National Geographic