South America's largest freshwater lake is drying up
Lake Titicaca is the most important water resource on the Andean Plateau. But over the last two decades, its waters have been dropping. The driest period in almost half a century is making life near impossible for farmers.
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00:00 Lake Titicaca is drying up.
00:02 Drought and high temperatures mean water levels are approaching an all-time low.
00:09 That's affecting the indigenous communities in the area.
00:14 Pedro Quinta has farmed here for 60 years.
00:18 He's increasingly concerned about the lack of rain.
00:22 It's very serious.
00:25 The lake is shrinking in depth and width at the same time.
00:30 Years ago it always rained.
00:32 Now it doesn't rain anymore.
00:34 In recent years, the lake has been losing water at an alarming rate.
00:41 On the left side are images recorded by DW in 2022.
00:46 On the right, the same area a year later.
00:50 There's not a drop of water in sight.
00:58 In 2001, there was water up to the community over there, called La Calla.
01:02 The water had risen up to that point. It was all covered by the lake.
01:06 Now there's no longer water. It's already disappeared.
01:10 The drying lands have caused changes to the agricultural cycle.
01:16 We normally plant potatoes here, beans, barley, quinoa, everything that grows here.
01:26 Now we can't grow anything.
01:28 The animals are left to eat dry grass.
01:37 We can no longer live here with our animals.
01:45 We just cannot live here with the cattle anymore.
01:52 José Luis Montaño, from Bolivia's Institute of Hydraulics and Hydrology,
01:57 says that climate change is to blame.
02:00 The increase in temperature due to climate change
02:07 is causing an increase in the evaporation rate.
02:10 That means a greater amount of water is evaporating.
02:14 Therefore, there is a reduction of the water surface on Lake Titicaca.
02:20 Many people here feel hopeless.
02:22 Some have already left.
02:25 We have sons and daughters, and most of them go to the capital, La Paz,
02:34 or to another country.
02:36 You can't live here anymore. There isn't even pasture.
02:40 Pedro Quinta feels abandoned.
02:47 Nobody helps us.
02:49 It would be great if the government did something,
02:52 but they don't even come to see what happens here.
02:55 Pedro wants an irrigation system,
02:59 but while he waits for the government, he prays for rain.
03:04 I'm not a Wachichilla.