Lake Atitlan Ecological Crisis in Santa Catarina Palopó

Versión en Español aquí

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"Algae and seaweed were the declared enemies of the village! The idea was to remove the algae from the lake. People showed up with plastic baskets, screens, bedsheets for sifting and nets to remove the algae. People were plunging into the water and removing algae with their bare hands. They were diving under water and coming back to the surface with piles of seaweed and algae. People were removing rocks covered in algae from the water. There were people in boats, canoes, and on the docs. They were using rakes, sticks, and paddles. Basically, people were trying to remove the algae any way possible! It was a surreal site to see. It went on for the entire day."

October 26th, 2009 Santa Catarina Palopó, Sololá Guatemala

1. Lake Atitlán has been completely engulfed by an algae that produces a potentially toxic bacteria. The level of toxicity is still unknown on this day, however it could be very hazardous to human health.
   
2. The press reported the severity of the situation and the possible health problems that could arise from touching the water or algae. Suddenly people around the lake became very alarmed. People were warned not to swim and not to eat the fish.
   
3. The mayor of Santa Catarina Palopó announced to the entire village that the lake was dirty and that everybody should go down to the shore to clean it. This blog entry is about what ensued. 

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My Position (before I make my point)

I live with a Kaqchikel Mayan family in Santa Catarina Palopó and am trying to learn the Kaqchikel language. I've been to Guatemala many times and have spent a lot of time in the country. Before I get to the meat of this blog entry, I would like to state upfront that I care about the people of Guatemala. I feel compassion for them and I am sad to see what's happening to the lake. I am posting this because I feel it is my duty to report what I witnessed today and because I care about the problem. I am not posting this to be malicious, judgmental, or to make myself appear superior. Indeed, I would rather not post this because this could put me in an awkward position with the community where I reside.

Today I witnessed something shocking, even for me (and I've seen dead people strewn across the street in Guate). I don't know if I'm over reacting or not but I feel that it is my duty to report what I saw. What I saw was sad, a little scary, and bizarre. It demonstrates the true level of ignorance in the community regarding this issue and illustrates the difficulty of the battle ahead. But it is also very hopeful...

We have a real problem folks!

Today, around 8:30 in the morning, the alcalde of Santa Catarina announced over loudspeakers to the village, that the lake is very dirty and that everyone in the village should go to the lake shore to help clean it. I can't quote him exactly because my Kaqchikel is very poor but all the people whom I asked said something to that effect. Within an hour the shoreline was full of people. I'm not very good at estimating head counts but I'm pretty sure there were over a hundred. Also, people were coming and going throughout the day.

Algae and seaweed were the declared enemies of the village! The idea was to remove the algae from the lake. People showed up with plastic baskets, screens, bedsheets for sifting and nets to remove the algae. People were plunging into the water and removing algae with their bare hands. They were diving under water and coming back to the surface with piles of seaweed and algae. People were removing rocks covered in algae from the water. There were people in boats, canoes, and on the docs. They were using rakes, sticks, and paddles. Basically, people were trying to remove the algae any way possible! It was a surreal site to see. It went on for the entire day.

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The participants in the activity were, men, women, teenagers, and children. Every age group and gender was represented. There was a vast turnout from every social strata in the community of Santa Catarina.

I do not consider myself an enlightened gringo. I am not a scientist nor an ecological expert. I did, however, take some environmental science classes in high-school and in college and I do possess some common knowledge on this subject, because hey, I'm from Minnesota and in Minnesota we know lakes. I tried to stop the people from doing it but I was totally ineffective. I told them there are two primary reasons they shouldn't be trying to remove the algae from the lake:

1. It won't work. The algae and bacteria feed on the phosphates and nitrates in the water. The phosphates and nitrates come from sewage drainage, runoff from the farms, and soaps etc. These chemicals are food for the bacteria and as long as they are in the water the bacteria will multiply much faster than you can remove it with your hands.
2. It could be harmful to you! We don't know the level of toxicity of the bacteria but it has the potential to cause many problems.
   

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I'm just a normal guy. Again, I'm not a scientist nor an ecological expert. The above two points is my understanding of this problem. My understanding is limited and I know I have a lot to learn. Never the less, this “cleanup” seemed totally misguided and wrong to me.

When I relayed the above two reasons NOT to wade out into the lake and scoop up algae by hand, people listened to me very earnestly. I noticed that people were very sincere and concerned. They are trying to battle the visible and tangible symptom of the disease that has so suddenly become visible to them. They don't understand that the lake has been sick for a long time and that this problem has been growing for years. From their point of view there is suddenly something very wrong and they want to fix it. They just don't know how. Though they listened to me earnestly I was unable to persuade anybody to abandon the work.

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My Conclusion

In a way it made me very sad to see people running into the water to fix a problem in such a way that in my opinion is totally misguided. It made me even more sad to know that there could be health repercussions for their futile attempt. However these things are not what affected me the most.

What affected me the most was how much the people seemed to care. The spirit of cooperation between people and their desire to do the right thing was enormous. As people were working they were laughing and making jokes but they also seemed to work with a tremendous sense of urgency. If there's one thing I can be sure of it's this: the people of Santa Catarina Palopó on Lake Atitlán know this is a serious problem and they want to do their part to fix it. There is no doubt about that. The problem is that most of them don't entirely understand what's going on and they don't know what to do about it. Though I am very concerned by what I witnessed today it gives me hope as well.

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