Lake Titicaca: South America's largest freshwater lake is drying up | Oneindia News - video Dailymotion

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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.    #LakeTiticaca #SouthAmerica #SouthAmericaLake #SouthAmericaLakeDryingUp #LakeTiticacaDryingUp                 ~PR.152~HT.99~ED.101~

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00:00 Lake Titicaca is drying up.

00:05 Drought and high temperatures mean water levels are approaching an all-time low.

00:12 That's affecting the indigenous communities in the area.

00:16 Pedro Quinta has farmed here for 60 years.

00:20 He's increasingly concerned about the lack of rain.

00:25 It's very serious.

00:27 The lake is shrinking in depth and width at the same time.

00:31 Years ago it always rained.

00:33 Now it doesn't rain anymore.

00:38 In recent years, the lake has been losing water at an alarming rate.

00:43 On the left side are images recorded by DW in 2022.

00:48 On the right, the same area a year later.

00:52 There's not a drop of water in sight.

00:59 In 2001, there was water up to the community over there, called La Calla.

01:04 The water had risen up to that point.

01:05 It was all covered by the lake.

01:08 Now there's no longer water.

01:09 It's already disappeared.

01:13 The drying lands have caused changes to the agricultural cycle.

01:20 We normally plant potatoes here, beans, barley, quinoa, everything that grows here.

01:27 But now we can't grow anything.

01:35 The animals are left to eat dry grass.

01:43 We can no longer live here with our animals.

01:46 We just cannot live here with the cattle anymore.

01:53 José Luis Montaño, from Bolivia's Institute of Hydraulics and Hydrology, says that climate

01:59 change is to blame.

02:05 The increase in temperature due to climate change is causing an increase in the evaporation

02:10 rate.

02:13 That means a greater amount of water is evaporating.

02:16 Therefore there is a reduction of the water surface on Lake Titicaca.

02:24 Many people here feel hopeless.

02:28 Some have already left.

02:34 We have sons and daughters, and most of them go to the capital, La Paz, or to another country.

02:41 You can't live here anymore.

02:42 There isn't even pasture.

02:45 Pedro Quinta feels abandoned.

02:50 Nobody helps us.

02:51 It would be great if the government did something, but they don't even come to see what happens

02:56 here.

02:58 Pedro wants an irrigation system.

03:01 But while he waits for the government, he prays for rain.

Lake Titicaca: South America's largest freshwater lake is drying up | Oneindia News

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