Pollution in Lake Atitlan

Lake Atitlan in Guatemala is often touted as The Most Beautiful Lake in the World. But it won't be that way forever if something isn't done about all the raw sewage, garbage, and pollution going into its beautiful waters every day.

Drone photo of the river delta in Panajachel emptying silt and sewage into Lake Atitlan.

I filmed that video just a few days ago. I like to walk the dogs down this gravel road to the lake cuz it's peaceful -- albeit stinky! Sometimes there are big gobs of dirty foam in the water that comes out from the sewage plant.

The amount of untreated sewage water (aguas residuales no tratadas) being dumped into Lake Atitlan every year.

The governmental organization here that is assigned to take care of Lake Atitlan is called AMSCLAE -- La Autoridad para el Manejo Sustentable de la Cuenca del Lago de Atitlán y su Entorno. In English, this is The Authority for Sustainable Management of the Lake Atitlan Basin and its Environment. They have a lot of great info on their site, but in Spanish of course! They do studies, offer educational programs, and spread awareness. Not everyone agrees with their methods and proposals, but it is good to have a central official governmental body.

For some heavy reading, here is an extensive article about wastewater treatment at Lake Atitlan in English:
https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:6451/WorkingPaper_No6.pdf

Almost every day on my Facebook feed, I see photos, links, complaints, and posters about Lake Atitlan's dirty water, garbage, and pollution. Locals and expats alike are very concerned and working as best they can to find a solution. Education and awareness are key. But I think the limiting factor here is money, unfortunately. I can only hope that something gets done before it's too late. 😔