drought
Lake Titicaca sinks below historic low
Boats on an almost dry shore of Lake Titicaca near the town of Huarina in Bolivia. photo
© Alexis Gomez/dpa
Little rain, high temperatures: the level of Lake Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia has fallen below its historic low.
Due to low rainfall and high heat, the level of the Lake Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia has fallen below its historic low. Since April, the lake’s water level has fallen by more than half a meter to 3,808.05 meters above sea level, according to data from the Peruvian Meteorological Service on Thursday.
The lowest level recorded so far by the Peruvian weather service was measured in December 1996 at 3,808.10 meters.
Lake Titicaca lies on the border between Peru and Bolivia and, with an area of around 8,400 square kilometers, is the largest freshwater lake in South America. Located in the Andes plateau, it is the highest commercially navigable body of water in the world.
As a drinking water reservoir, the lake is of great importance for the approximately two million people in the region. However, because most of the wastewater from surrounding cities and mines flows into the lake untreated, the water quality continues to decline. The environmental organization Global Nature Fund has named Lake Titicaca the threatened lake of the year for 2023.