Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Tropical Andes mountains

Roseau

Lake Poopó is located in the Altiplano mountains of Bolivia, at approximately 3,700 m altitude. It was formerly the second-largest lake in Bolivia after Lake Titicaca. The lake reached its peak in 1986 with an area of 3,500 km 2 (Quinn and Woodward, 2015). The area of the lake has always fluctuated and is sensitive to even small changes in precipitation and river inflow (inflow is mainly provided through the Rio Desaguadero, which itself flows from Lake Titicaca) (Zola and Bengtsson, 2006). In 1996, the lake completely disappeared and reverted to a salt flat status, and it took several years before water reappeared. However, by January 2016 water had almost completely disappeared apart from a fewmarshes. The main reason for its disappearance is the strong drought caused by El Niño, but other contributing factors include the diversion of the lake’s resources for water and agriculture. Lake Poopó – officially declared “evaporated” in December 2015

Water stress in the Tropical Andes countries

Castries

Caracas

VENEZUELA

COLOMBIA

Paramaribo

Bogota

GUYANA

Equator

Quito

ECUADOR

BRAZIL

PERU

Water stress Annual average Percent of water withdrawal on water availability Less than 10

10 to 20 20 to 40 40 to 80 More than 80

Arid land (low water use) High seasonal variability Dams Capacity, billion cubic metres

Lima

BOLIVIA

1 10

50

135

La Paz

Sucre

Baseline water stress measures total annual water withdrawals (municipal, industrial, and agricultural) expressed as a percentage of the total annual available freshwater and groundwater. Higher values indicate more competition among users. Seasonal variability measures variation in water supply between months of the year.

Satellite images courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory, http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/ view.php?id=87363

Sources:WRI Aqueduct; FAO AQUASTAT; NASA GLDAS-2

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