Climate Change: Melting glacier in Bolivia puts fresh water supply at risk

World
Europe

02:32

It was once the world's highest ski resort, but has become a victim of climate change. The Cha-cal-ta-ya glacier in Bolivia stands as a reminder of the past and a warning for the future. CGTN's Dan Collyns reports from its peaks.

It's one of the highest cities in the world.

La Paz is nestled in the Andean tropical mountain chain.

A short drive followed by perhaps a longer walk from the city and you can be standing under snow-capped peaks.

Not so long ago, people skied on these slopes.

DAN COLLYNS CHACALTAYA, BOLIVIA "Bolivia's only ski resort was once the highest in the world at more than 5,400 meters above sea level. Nowadays it's a sad relic of the après ski lifestyle some Bolivians enjoyed on this once mighty glacier, which has melted faster than scientists had predicted."

Under a fresh dusting of snow, these two ski lodges are the only reminders of what used to be.

Scientists say the ice here started to melt in the mid-1980s. The glacier vanished in 2009.

But residents in La Paz and its twin city El Alto face a more pressing problem than the loss of a leisure activity.

While the higher peaks hold on to their ice, for now, the thaw is putting fresh water supplies at risk:

MARCOS ANDRADE, DIRECTOR ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS LABORATORY HIGHER SAN ANDRES UNIVERSITY "The last decade in which we have all this glacial retreat, what is happening is we have more water available because the glaciers are melting and this is going to last 10-15 years maybe - depending on how the conditions are maybe - but later we won't have any other source of water and we won't have the reservoir."

In 2016, La Paz was hit by a major drought as reservoirs ran dry.

This year the water supply and weather is being carefully monitored.

MARCOS ANDRADE, DIRECTOR ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS LABORATORY HIGHER SAN ANDRES UNIVERSITY "The problem with climate change and climate variability is you don't know if you will have the same amount of rainfall every year, so planning for a big dam might be a mistake. So the idea now is really to build small dams. We need really to have a contingency plan."

Bolivians here may have the white peaks for little longer, but they'll have to plan for a drier future without them. Dan Collyns, CGTN, on the Chacaltaya Mountain, Bolivia.