Lake Atescatempa in Guatemala is suffering from the negative impacts of climate change. Once a beautiful lake now depicts the dry landscape parched and completely cracked by the sun.
Lake Atescatempa is situated in the southwestern Guatemala. A few years ago the Lake was full of water, but currently, it is experiencing the crucial impacts of the rapid climate change. Last year the region suffered from a severe drought. This condition badly hampered the flow of two main rivers that feed the lake.
According to Phys.org the livelihood of the residents of that area also affected due to this drought, an outcome of the climate change. Even the number of tourists drastically decreased. The Lake Atescatempa is an important source of earnings and livelihood for many local residents.
One such resident is Juan Guerra, who is currently 56-year-old and spent his whole life by the Lake Atescatempa. It helps a lot to their families. But, at present, they have no money and no place to work due to the lake's grim condition. The shore of the lake is dotted and the boats are left abandoned.
Other local residents noticed three years ago the shrinking water level in the Lake Atescatempa. Even the weather forecast offers no words of relief in this region of Central America. Hector Aguirre, the coordinator of the Mancomunidad Trinacional group, revealed that climate change has affected their lives.
Aguirre said that the future of the countries that exist in the Central America are also affected by the climate change. The Mancomunidad Trinacional group represents villages and towns that are situated at the junction of the borders of Honduras, Guatemala and the El Salvador. Now an important fact is a severe drought and the temperature of the "Dry Corridor" played the significant roles to dry up the Lake Atescatempa. "Dry Corridor" is a specific zone that exists along the Pacific coast from the Central American nation Guatemala to Panama.
The shocking thing is this "Dry Corridor" has already felt the brunt of the El Nino. It is a familiar fact that El Nino mainly increases the Pacific Ocean temperature and responsible for droughts in some areas. According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 3.5 million people living in the "Dry Corridor" zone suffered from food insecurity in 2016. So it is quite natural that Lake Atescatempa, a part of Guatemala, is also the victim of this situation.
It is true that El Nino affected the agriculture of the "Dry Corridor" zone in Central America. This weather phenomenon hampers the crop production in this region and Lake Atescatempa depicts the level of this bad situation. In a word, Central America is facing the severe aftermath of the rapid climate change.
