Lake Titicaca, once considered Andean deity, faces pollution threat

Lake Titicaca, once considered Andean deity, faces pollution threat

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Isaac Callizaya (pictured below), 39, grew up with the sound of waves lapping on the shores of Lake Titicaca, a giant body of water on the border between Bolivia and Peru that at 3,800 meters (12,500 ft) above sea level is the highest navigable lake in the world.

. El Alto, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
Callizaya and his son read comics at his home.

The island fishing community near Titicaca's southern tip that he was born into has seen big changes over the years. Many have moved away from the village on Pariti island, while urban sprawl from nearby cities has created a rising problem of pollution, altering the lake's landscape and forcing those that live around it to adapt.

. Pariti Island, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
Members of the Qewaya community walk on Pariti island.

"When I was a child in the nineties, all families on the island lived off fishing. Today only three families are fishing, catching just some 20 fishes per day," Callizaya says. He himself now has a home in the nearby city of El Alto.

"Before the year 2000 there were around 50 students at primary level (on the island). This year we only have one."

. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
Houses built from totora plant sit on a manmade floating island as seen from Qewaya hill.

Environmentalists are getting worried about the long-term impact to the lake, a popular destination for visitors to the region, who come to see its icy azure waters with their Andean mountain backdrop and traditional communities, some of whom live on manmade islands constructed entirely from reeds.

. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
A woman feeds her cattle in Qewaya village.

The lake was once considered a deity by the pre-Columbian people that lived on its shores. As well as native plants and animals, such as the enormous endemic Titicaca water frog, it supports millions of human beings that live nearby – including in the rapidly expanding Bolivian city of El Alto, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the east.

. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
A skirt lies beside "chuno".

The communities around the lake live off fishing, tourism, farming animals and local product "chuño" - potatoes that are laid out overnight to be freeze-dried.

Its high-altitude environment is of major interest to climate change researchers, too, because ecosystems of its kind are highly sensitive to global warming, making it an early-warning marker of changes happening more broadly to the planet.

. Cohana Bay, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
Lazzaro shows a team member on a map where samples will be taken as they head to a polluted site in Cohana bay.

Xavier Lazzaro, an aquatic systems specialist with French research institute IRD, says a shortage of water treatment plants, local industry, tourism and global warming are all affecting the lake, especially the smaller and shallower "Lago Menor."

Lazzaro, who has been closely following pollutants in the lake for many years, is using a solar-powered buoy to do real-time measurements of water quality. He says there is not yet enough data to reliably illustrate the size of the problem.

. Cohana Bay, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
. Cohana Bay, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Left: A member of Professor Lazzaro's research team takes samples during a field trip in Cohana bay.
Right: Algae floats in shallow water in Cohana bay.

Over time, a buildup of sediments, toxic blooms and climate change could cause the Lago Menor to become shallower and eventually dry up, he says.

"This catastrophic scenario is not science fiction. Of course it will take decades, centuries to happen," he says, while driving through the high-altitude mountains overlooking the lake. "It will be faster if no action is taken."

. Desaguadero, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
Rubbish floats on the shore where Lake Titicaca and Desaguadero river meet in Desaguadero village.

The local governments have taken steps to try and clean up the lake, though it's a hard battle to win outright.

. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Left: Limachi gathers totora plant to use in art and crafts project to be sold at Pariti island museum.
Right: Limachi makes a small boat of totora plant for sale.

Oscar Limachi, 48, a member of the local Qewaya community who works as a tour guide on the lake, says that waste from El Alto and a lack of understanding about pollution risk changing the habitat forever.

. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane
Limachi and his son-in-law ride their boat to Pariti island where they often make money as tour guides.

"It is also our fault, people throw garbage and plastic everywhere, they don't understand this is polluting," he says, adding that many plant varieties in the lake had already vanished.

"Fish used to live, eat and lay their eggs amongst these plants. Now there are no plants, so no fish," he says. "We are afraid that someday the fish will disappear or migrate forever."

Manuel Seoane was a 2018 Reuters photojournalism grant winner. Click on the names to see the stories by the other grantees, Ekaterina Anchevskaya, Nicky Woo, Loren Elliott and Thomas Nicolon.

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Slideshow

A view of the Koati community which according to Koati Tourism Association, is the only Aymara community settled on the island, is made up of 25 families and its total population does not exceed 100 people.
. Koati, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

A view of the Koati community which according to Koati Tourism Association, is the only Aymara community settled on the island, is made up of 25 families and its total population does not exceed 100 people.

Limachi rides his boat early morning in search of a fishing site.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Limachi rides his boat early morning in search of a fishing site.

An entrance to Pariti island.
. Pariti Island, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

An entrance to Pariti island.

Limachi's son-in-law checks fish caught in his net.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Limachi's son-in-law checks fish caught in his net.

A dead trout floats inside a farm cage at a fish hatchery in Tiquina village.
. Tiquina, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

A dead trout floats inside a farm cage at a fish hatchery in Tiquina village.

Limachi poses for a photograph.
. Bolivia, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Limachi poses for a photograph.

Limachi searches for duck eggs on a natural totora floating island.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Limachi searches for duck eggs on a natural totora floating island.

Corn, frozen overnight by plummeting temperatures, lays on a rooftop made of totora plant.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Corn, frozen overnight by plummeting temperatures, lays on a rooftop made of totora plant.

Local product "chuno" - potatoes - are laid out overnight to be freeze-dried.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Local product "chuno" - potatoes - are laid out overnight to be freeze-dried.

A scarecrow is seen on a cold, foggy, morning. Early-morning fog is common in the region, and the temperature is often below zero degrees Celsius.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

A scarecrow is seen on a cold, foggy, morning. Early-morning fog is common in the region, and the temperature is often below zero degrees Celsius.

Cholitas from Okola village pose for a photograph during a celebration near Okola village.
. Okola, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Cholitas from Okola village pose for a photograph during a celebration near Okola village.

Musicians from Okola village drink during a celebration.
. Okola, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Musicians from Okola village drink during a celebration.

An ancient stone-built tomb sits within an archaeological site near Qewaya village.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

An ancient stone-built tomb sits within an archaeological site near Qewaya village.

A partially-burnt card.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

A partially-burnt card.

Boys from Qewaya community celebrate the visit of Agence Francaise de Developpement director Remy Rioux and Bolivian Minister of Environment and Water Carlos Ortuno in Qewaya village.
. Qewaya, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Boys from Qewaya community celebrate the visit of Agence Francaise de Developpement director Remy Rioux and Bolivian Minister of Environment and Water Carlos Ortuno in Qewaya village.

The island's only children who despite their age difference are schooled in one classroom, pose for a photograph on Koati Island.
. Koati Island, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

The island's only children who despite their age difference are schooled in one classroom, pose for a photograph on Koati Island.

Women cut meat of a recently-killed animal to be cooked for a birthday party on Koati Island. As residents have few resources, they save them to be consumed on special occasions. If there is a surplus, it is taken to be sold at a market.
. Koati, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Women cut meat of a recently-killed animal to be cooked for a birthday party on Koati Island. As residents have few resources, they save them to be consumed on special occasions. If there is a surplus, it is taken to be sold at a market.

Animal skin is stretched and sun-dried to make leather on Koati Island.
. Koati, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Animal skin is stretched and sun-dried to make leather on Koati Island.

Alpacas are common in the region and their wool is highly priced at market.
. Koati, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Alpacas are common in the region and their wool is highly priced at market.

Viviana ties her cattle by rope on the outskirts of Koati Island. Viviana's family and most of the inhabitants of the island live mainly as traditional farmers.
. Koati, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Viviana ties her cattle by rope on the outskirts of Koati Island. Viviana's family and most of the inhabitants of the island live mainly as traditional farmers.

Roberto Mamani, a resident of Koati Island, rides his boat towards the island.
. Koati, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Roberto Mamani, a resident of Koati Island, rides his boat towards the island.

A research boat driver steers towards a polluted area of the Lake Titicaca, near Huarina village.
. Huarina, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

A research boat driver steers towards a polluted area of the Lake Titicaca, near Huarina village.

Rubbish is dumped on the outskirts of Desaguadero village.
. Desaguadero, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

Rubbish is dumped on the outskirts of Desaguadero village.

A sign reads: "2000 pesos fine for rubbish dumping" in Desaguadero village.
. Desaguadero, BOLIVIA. Reuters/Manuel Seoane

A sign reads: "2000 pesos fine for rubbish dumping" in Desaguadero village.