There are more than three thousand new glacial lakes in Peru. According to the authorities, the “Nuevas Lagunas” was formed over three decades after melting glaciers “due to climate change.”
During a scientific workshop on glaciers on Thursday, September 22, Yamina Silva, deputy minister for strategic development at the Environment Ministry, stressed that glacial melt could pose a danger to people living in low-lying areas, as new, potentially dangerous lakes are being created.
According to her, 3,242 new lakes have been registered, 513 of which have very high levels and “pose a potential risk of overflowing.”
The country, which neighbors Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile, has 8,577 glacial lakes covering an area of 1,022 square kilometers.
Most of the lagoons of glacial origin are located in Puno, a region that contains the binational Lake Titicaca, which Peru shares with Bolivia and which was considered a sacred lake by the Incas.
The data published by Silva comes from an official study that analyzed satellite images from 1985 to 2019.
It was conducted by the National Institute for Research on Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems, “Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Glaciares y Ecosistemas de Montaña,” a mountain research institution under the Ministry of Environment.
With information from Latina Press