High In The Andes, Water Levels Fall To Historic Lows In Lake Titicaca

Relevance: GS3 - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, Disaster and disaster management GS1 - Geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes, Distribution of key natural resources across the world,

(Source: Times of India, 08/17/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, water levels in Lake Titicaca have dropped to within 10 inches of their record lows.
• The decreasing water level has been attributed to meteorological, hydrological, and climatic factors.

What has happened to Lake Titicaca?

• The lake's water level is currently within 25 centimeters of its all-time low which was recorded in 1992.
• In three months, the water has decreased by 30 centimeters.
  • Experts have predicted that the water level will fall further due to the stronger radiation during the present season.
• The lake’s surface area, which measured around 3,200 square miles (8,300 square kilometers) , has shrunk significantly.
  • However, the extent of the loss has not yet been assessed properly.

What are the main reasons for the decline in Lake Titicaca’s water level?

• Poor rainfall: According to the Bolivian weather agency, there is a severe deficit of rain in the region, which has severely reduced the level of water in the lake.
  • The rainfall and the subsequent inflow to the lake from Peruvian rivers were not sufficient to generate the normal rises.
• El Nino and La Nina: The El Nino and La Nina phenomena which are associated with rains and droughts have been distorted in terms of their patterns and factors over time.
  • El Niño is a natural climatic event that is generally associated with increased temperatures, droughts in some parts of the world, and heavy rains in others.
  • La Niña causes the opposite effects particularly a drop in temperatures.
• Climate change: In the absence of sufficient rainfall, the evaporation rate of the lake increases as a result of the higher surface and air temperature.
  • This has led to a fall in the water levels of the lake levels with experts suggesting the lake could lose up to 85% of its current volume even if warming is limited to under 2°C.
• Anthropological stress: It is heavily polluted by waste from El Alto, a city of one million people in Bolivia.
  • Indiscriminate fishing has adversely affected aquatic species in the lake.

Impacts

• Biodiversity: More than 500 species of animals and plants are found in the lake, including endemic and endangered species.
  • The falling water levels could threaten their existence and lead to the loss of important species.
• Human activities: The majority of people who live along the lake are fishermen and farmers.
  • The lake is a vital part of the life of the rural communities that practice subsistence farming and livestock rearing.
  • The drop in water levels has resulted in the shortage of plants that grow along the lakeside which are used as fodder by locals,
  • The dropping water levels will also adversely impact tourism which is a major source of income for the region.
• Famine and poverty: The staple diet of rural communities includes fish, whose population is reducing due to a decline in water level.
  • Harvests are also likely to fall due to the lack of water in the lake.
  • Indirectly it could also lead to a rise in the prices of most ingredients.
  • This poses a threat of famine and poverty due to the loss of traditional livelihoods.
• Migration: As a result of the loss of livelihood and increasing economic hardships due to the decline of water levels, people have begun to migrate out of the region

Lake Titicaca

• Lake Titicaca is the largest freshwater lake in South America.
• It is also known as the highest navigable lake in the world and the largest mountain lake in the world.
• Location: It is located on the northern point of the endorheic Altiplano basin of the Andes Mountains.
  • It lies on the border between Peru and Bolivia.
• Size: It extends for 3,200 square miles and extends in a northwest-to-southeast direction for a distance of 190 km.
• Geographical features:
  • It consists of two subbasins - Lake Huinaymarca (Bolivia) and Lake Pequeño (Peru) - which are separated by the Strait of Tiquina.
  • The major river systems that feed the lake are the Ramis, Coata, Ilave, Huancané, and Suchez.
• Conservation:
  • Ramsar Site since 1998.
  • It has been included in the National System of Protected Areas (SINANPE) as a national reserve (IUCN VI category).
• Flora and Fauna:
  • It is home to threatened species such as the Titicaca water frog, Titicaca grebe, Titicaca orestias, vizcacha, Andean fox,
  • Reeds like totora and aquatic vegetation are widespread.
  • It is famous for the Floating Islands, which are human-made islands constructed by the Uros people from layers of cut totora.

Andes

• The Andes is the longest above-water mountain range in the world (8,900 km) and is second behind the Himalayas in terms of average elevation.
• Formation: The Andes were created over 50 million years ago following the collision of the South American and Pacific tectonic plates.
• Extent:
  • It spreads from the southern tip of South America to the northernmost coast of the Caribbean.
  • The Andes Mountains extend over seven countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
  • It is about 5,500 miles (8,900 km) long and second only to the Himalayas in average elevation.
• Terrain: It consists of parallel and transverse mountain ranges, or cordilleras, and intervening plateaus and depressions.
• Mount Aconcagua (Argentina), at 22,841 feet (6,962 m) above sea level is the highest peak in the Andes.
  • It also houses the highest volcano when measured above sea level, i.e. the Ojos del Salado on the Chile-Argentina border.
• Climate:
  • Annual precipitation is higher to the south of 40°S and diminishes and becomes seasonal to the north of 40°S.
  • Temperature, atmospheric pressure, and humidity decrease in higher elevations.
  • The southern Andes are rainy and cool, the central section is dry and the northern section is rainy and warm.
• Vegetation: Andean soils are relatively young.
  • However, they are affected by the high level of erosion by water and winds because of the steep gradients of the land.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched? (UPSC CSE 2013)

Geographical Region Feature

(a) Abyssinian Plateau: Arabia

(b) Atlas Mountains: North­Western Africa

(c) Guiana Highlands: South­Western Africa

(d) Okavango Basin: Patagonia

Question: Which of the following are properly arranged from west to east?

(a) Erie - Titicaca - Victoria - Baikal

(b) Victoria - Titicaca - Baikal - Erie

(c) Baikal - Victoria - Titicaca - Erie

(d) Titicaca - Erie - Victoria - Baikal