Vanishing Waters of the World

Bolivia’s Lake Poopó, a saltwater lake that once covered around 386 sq. mi. (1,000 sq km), has now evaporated almost entirely, partly because of drought driven by climate change. Pressures from the changing planet and industry are drying up bodies of water across the globe:

LAKE FAGUIBINE

This Malian lake is fed by the Niger River, whose tributaries have become clogged with sand after years of drought, shrinking the lake from 228 sq. mi. (590 sq km) in 1974 to shallow pools today. Mali has been trying to clear the tributaries for over 10 years.

DEAD SEA

The famed saline lake recedes by roughly 3 ft. (1 m) per year, as industry and farmers divert water from the Jordan River. In December, Israel and Jordan advanced plans to build a 112-mile (180 km) pipeline to pump in briny water from the Red Sea.

COLORADO RIVER

After decades of damming and diversions of the 1,450-mile (2,330 km) river, only 10% of water from the U.S. watershed reaches Mexico. Scientists foresee a gap between supply and demand of 1 trillion gallons by 2060 as climate change worsens.

POYANG LAKE

What was once China’s largest freshwater lake has largely evaporated because of drought and a nearby dam on the Yangtze River. The Poyang has dipped to 5% of its usual capacity, causing water shortages for over 1 million people.