The lake is used as a laundry mat and bathtub

Called “the closest thing to Eden on Earth”, by The Lonely Planet Guide, Lake Atitlan is now being threatened. Since Hurricane Stan ravaged the area is 2005, Lake Atitlan has never been the same. During the hurricane, an entire village was destroyed killing 1,400 people and leaving 5,000 homeless but also the sewage treatment plant in Panajachel, one of the largest towns on the lake, was severely damaged and has never been repaired.

It´s been interesting putting the pieces together as I have spoken to locals, foreigners and done lots of research on the internet. I feel like I have just scratched the surface but I certainly know more than I did a month ago.

Just before I arrived, I was completely unaware that the lake has suffered a terrible algae bloom. You can see pictures and learn more at www.lakeatitlanhealth.com Apparently this beautiful lake I look at every day with awe and wonderment was more like pea soup. The photos are pretty alarming! It scared some people for awhile and some action was taken but once it cleared, life has unfortunately for the most part returned to normal.

It´s a long story of what has happened since the hurricane and I don´t have all the pieces…yet. There is lots that still remains to be learned about this toxic form of algae but Lake Atitlan is by no means out of the woods. I have learned that there are currently six villages that have raw sewage coming directly into the lake. This is just one of the more serious problems on top of the pesticides from the coffee production and farming that flow into the lake.

Lake Atitlan is unusual because it was formed by a collapsed volcano cone thousands of years ago. Consequently, there is no fresh water source. It is so beautiful because it is surrounded by 3 traditional cone shaped volcanoes. It is also considered the deepest lake in Central America (320 metres – 1050 feet approximately) but that has given people a false sense of security. They honestly believe that because of the depth, Lake Atitlan can handle whatever they give it. Unfortunately, that is not true as is obvious by the toxic algae bloom this past fall.

There are several contributing factors to the growing problem in the lake. One is the picture above. The lake is used as a laundrymat by many of the indigenous people and unfortunately, the soap they are using is full of phosphates. Now I will be the first to tell you, I know very little about phosphates but I do know that the typical laundry soap most people buy is bad for us and the environment. And now that the lake is sick, it´s like a person who has had a serious ailment. It can´t handle the extra stress and pressure of all the toxins from laundry soap, pesticides and other sources of contamination.

In the past the Mayan women made their own homemade soap; now they buy the packaged soap instead. And honestly, with the heavy loads these women already carry, babies on their backs, huge loads of produce and firewood literally on their heads, combined with extreme poverty, little medical care and primitive living conditions, it´s hard to begrudge them the luxury of buying a package of soap like I do to wash the clothes. However, this change in custom is just one more deadly change in habit that is threatening the lake.

Aldous Huxley apparently described the lake as “the most beautiful lake in the world and really too much of a good thing”. And seriously, there hasn´t been a morning that I have awoken here that hasn´t taken my breath away and made me smile.

I will continue to share what I am learning and also some ways that changes are being made. I know there are alot of foreigners in the area that are deeply concerned and are doing some great things. I´ll look forward to sharing those with you too!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Subscribe to the post comments feeds or Leave a trackback