In this lake, you can no longer fish or swim without getting intoxicated. Unfortunately, everything is not as beautiful as it seems. This sacred lake is polluted. I am currently on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the sacred lake of the Incas. This lake is located in the Andes mountains, between the border of Peru and Bolivia, and it is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,812 meters above sea level. The lake is home to the Uros indigenous people who live on artificial floating islands made of totora. However, I am sorry to say that I am not only here to show you the beauty of this place. Around 800 families are distributed across 120 artificial islands made of totora, and most of them are currently dedicated to tourism. Lake Titicaca. 3 million years old This cane is the totora cane, a fairly resistant cane that grows about 3 meters above the lake. They collect it about six kilometers from here, let it dry in the sun, and once it is dry, they use it for everything from chairs, utensils, handicrafts, tables, rafts, and even the same base where we are now. The totora is what makes us float on it. They change it every two months because it begins to rot.
What they do not remove, they simply put layers on top.
reed seats This is the base of the island, and the totora goes on top. Our ancestors separated it with this stick, drank alcohol and coca for strength.
Now we do it much faster.
one, two, three, and four - This island has 15 like these.
+ Does it last long enought?
- It can last for about 30 or 40 years. We tie them with ropes As you can see, the totora rots, so we put new ones on top every 15 days. If it weren't for this anchor, which is just a stick and a rope, all the islands would move. We produce for bartering. We go to the peninsula to make the trade. There is no fishing anymore, very little. Before there was, now there is none. Because the lake is contaminated. It is true that they are very small. And what you see there are two Kingfishers. This is the Kingfisher. At the end of the braid, women have pompoms. The stronger colors are used by single women, the young ones. On the other hand, when they use neutral colors it is for those who are already married. All of these are for the single women. - Yes
+ ¿And this one? - This one has colors, but with a little dark color.
+ Almost married, right? When they are not married but live together, they use this one. Fishing is already low for us, so now we are working for tourism. The larger lake is becoming polluted; all the rivers that reach here are contaminated, so the fish have disappeared. We want the lake to be clean, for the fish to grow and for there to be more of them. During the rainy season, as the rivers are contaminated, the water comes in a reddish color. We drink that water and get stomach diseases, headaches, and fever. There are still communities that are a bit more isolated and avoid tourism, but to tell the truth, 95% of them are all dedicated to tourism. On each island, between 5 and 7 families live most of them are dedicated to hunting and fishing, which they then sell in the Puno market. They told us that they no longer have enough production to sell in the market, they simply fish for their consumption. Before it was only fishing and nothing else. When I was little, I used to go fishing and hunting birds with my dad collect eggs... Only that. There wasn't much tourism before, only fried food. that's our typical cuisine here. Making a floating island out of totora seems incredible to me but what also seems incredible is that they can make boats like the one I have behind me, which are works of art. These can last up to 7 years, all made of totora. In fact, in 1947, Thor Heyerdahl made an expedition from Peru to French Polynesia to prove that there was a connection between these two places and their cultures crossed the sea with a raft very similar to the materials that the Uros' constructions and boats have nowadays. This material here ignites very easily, which is why for cooking they have to use something like a support because what they burn to make the fire and for cooking is the same totora. The name of Lake Titicaca means "Stone Puma." According to legend, this is where the Andean world originated. The god Viracocha emerged from this lake and created Inti, which is the sun, as well as the moon, the stars and the first people. He sent Manco Capac to found the Inca culture in Cuzco. The Incas believed that when one died, the soul traveled to the origin, meaning that the soul of all Incas came here to Lake Titicaca. The Uros were one of the first cultural formations and their origin dates back to the pre-Inca era. Some theories say that they came from Bolivia but migrated to coastal areas after some severe droughts between 900 and 1200 We've stopped now to refuel because we're going to go to one of the slightly more distant areas which are the floating islands, but they're affected by the floating islands Unfortunately, it's not all as beautiful as it seems. This sacred lake is contaminated. This water is much greener than in the areas of the floating islands where it was a little bluer. What I have behind me is Puno, and this lake is the same drain as the same city. You can no longer fish or swim in this lake without getting sick and all of this is due to deforestation, massive agriculture waste And, of course, mining. Oxygen levels in the water have decreased, and the temperature is increasing. This means that biodiversity is disappearing, and massive tourism hasn't helped these waters breathe. We've gone from blue to green waters, and now look, they're completely dirty. - Because of contamination...
+ Does it smell?
- Yes... The water is calm, but if you stay here for a few minutes you'll start to see bubbles coming up from the depths, all black, obviously We've come to the north of Lake Titicaca, where the Coata River flows This is where all the mining tailings end up, and it's literally the garbage dump of the city of Juliaca A lot of toxic waste arrives here, contaminating the sacred lake. I am the president of the Unified Front Against Pollution of the Coata River Basin and Lake Titicaca against the mining companies in the Coata River Basin, who contaminate us with heavy metals. On the way, this river is also contaminated by Juliaca's wastewater, more than 610 liters per second. Fish have heavy metals, and people living in these districts have 83.5% of heavy metals in their bodies. In all of this riverside, there used to be thousands of livestock. This is a dead zone for us, literally. This place is the sewer of cities and mining companies. I am at the mouth of the river, and look at all the foam that comes out. This is poison, hospital water, industrial wastewater with chemicals. All of that goes into Lake Titicaca. It's deposited there. That's its end. 100 kilometers upstream are the mines, their terrain and acidic waters flow into the Coata River. Heavy metals have entered the bones like lead, arsenic Mercury, cadmium, boron, and more. All in the human body. This has caused human deaths and is incurable. There is no vaccine to cure a person with heavy metals. If this continues to be polluted the highest lake in the world will practically die in 10 to 15 years. In many places, tourism is very positive and helps locals but sometimes it can corrupt the culture. It is true that in many places like this one the dark side is sometimes hidden so that tourists keep coming All of this that you've seen in today's report affects the Uros and the sacred lake If nothing is done, this lake will disappear, along with its people. Now, this video ends here. Give it a like and always comment with respect. Subscribe if you haven't already, and we'll see you in the next one.
