South America's largest freshwater lake under threat

Human and industrial waste is threatening Lake Titicaca's ecosystem and the sustenance of nearly 1.3 million people living along its banks.

Peru and Bolivia signed a deal in January 2016 to spend more than $500 million to save the Andean Lake Titicaca.
TRT World and Agencies

Peru and Bolivia signed a deal in January 2016 to spend more than $500 million to save the Andean Lake Titicaca.

Pollution is threatening South America's largest freshwater lake, Titicaca.

The lakes, which straddles the borders of Bolivia and Peru, was once worshipped by the ancient Inca Empire.

But today, human and industrial waste is being pumped into the lake which has caused not only the water to be heavily polluted, but also the death of creatures who depend on it for survival.

Pollution is posing a huge threat for nearly 1.3 million people who live near its banks and depend on it for their daily sustenance.

"All the rubbish, all the boiled water, everything that is dirty in the city arrives in Lake Titicaca. It arrives in Lake Titicaca and we practically see it. It's really worrisome. Why? Because we depend on it to live," Maruja Inquilla, a local resident who lives near the lake told TRT World.

In January, Peru and Bolivia signed a pact to spend more than $500 million to tackle the problem.

A year later, Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski pledged to construct 10 treatment plants around the lake.

TRT World's Christine Pirovolakis visited the lake and tells us more.

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