Dangerous Waters: Urban Boom Threatens Lake Titicaca and its People
The Incas believed that the god Viracocha rose from the waters of Lake Titicaca and created mankind. Now, mankind's trash is endangering the waters of the sacred lake.
The booming urban populations of Bolivia and Peru are threatening Lake Titicaca, as well as the indigenous populations that depend on it.
In Bolivia, urban growth poses a major pollution threat to Lake Titicaca, South America's largest freshwater lake. Some downstream communities are trying to fight back.
A new kind of toilet may be the salvation of Lake Titicaca. It's sanitary and it may even produce compost suitable for growing food.
With urban populations increasing, Lake Titicaca is being polluted with waste from booming cities in Peru and Bolivia.
South America's most famous lake is being polluted by increasing levels of waste from fast-growing cities, according to locals, environmentalists and politicians.
Marcelino Coila Choque, a local fisherman, is concerned that over-fishing and water contamination will threaten the future of Lake Titicaca's resources.
El Alto is one of the fastest-growing cities in South America, but its infrastructure is lagging. The city’s wastewater is piped directly into rivers that connect to Lake Titicaca.
Gateways
Grantee
Sara Shahriari has worked as a print and multimedia journalist in Andean South America for three years.
Shahriari's work has appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, Bloomberg, BusinessWeek,...
Grantee
Noah Friedman-Rudovsky is a freelance photojournalist and videographer based in Bolivia where he has spent the past eight years covering the nation’s transformation. He received a Fulbright...