Lake Titicaca, known
as the world's highest navigable lake (and most snicker-worthy
place name) is, apparently, full of "caca".
Peru's Environment
Ministry reports that over 12 million cubic meters of raw
sewage are dumped into Lake Titicaca every year. Since Titicaca
is one of Peru's most valuable tourist destinations and one of the
"new" seven wonders of the world, this is big news.
According to the
country's Environment Ministry, the source of the pollution is the
city of Puno, population 100,000 plus. Apparently, Puno produces
100 metric tons of solid waste every day, which ends ends up in
Titicaca, as does more than 70 percent of the city's untreated
liquid waste, which comes from homes, runoff from hospitals,
factories, tanneries and slaughterhouses.This toxic sludge is full
of methane, which is cited as a major contributor to global
warming.
"Without sewage
treatment facilities, this lake is doomed," a spokesman for Peru's
Environment Ministry told reporters.
But sewage
treatment facilities aren't going to come fast enough. "For poor
people living along Lake Titicaca's shores, the struggle to survive
often takes precedence over protecting the
environment."