The saltwater lake in the heights of Andes Mountains has undergone a process which is increasingly present across the globe

It has been only a month since Bolivia’s second largest lake, Lake Poopó, had disappeared.

If in the 1990s the lake held at least 2,000 square kilometers of water, in the 2015 water was becoming less and less powerful.

The reasons for this phenomena were on the one hand the fact that the water levels sometimes fluctuated due to drought or seasonal conditions and on the other hand the climate change that has led to more and more years without rain, so the lake gradually continued to shrink.

It was not before this fall that there still water in the lake, but unfortunately the powerful meteorological phenomenon caused by the climate changes and known as El Niño has greatly contributed to the drying of the giant lake. More than that in the entire Bolivia, El Niño caused far less rain than usual to fall.

The effect on the local wildlife and the surrounding community has been nothing short of devastating. Since late 2014, millions of fish have been killed off, along with an estimated 500 birds that made the lake their home.

The crisis is so bad that Bolivian lawmakers have declared the area a disaster zone.
More, the loss of so many fish has been devastating for the fishermen who used to make their living on the lake. But it’s also been difficult for local mining companies that relied on water from the lake.

While local NGOs have tried to help lessen the impact by constructing wells and helping residents transition to new trades, about two-thirds of the community have decided to pack up and move elsewhere.