Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Pollution Persists in Lake Atitlán

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GUATEMALA CITY, Jul 11 2005 (IPS) - Guatemala's Lake Atitlán, located 140 km west of the capital and considered the country's most beautiful, is contaminated with agrochemicals and human waste from nearby towns, restaurants and hotels. Agrochemicals are used by 75 percent of the farmers with fields around the lake, whose surface covers around 130 square km, Julio Urrea, governor of the central-western department of Sololá, told Tierramérica.

The environmental authorities will launch a campaign against throwing garbage in streets and rivers, and will dredge the San Francisco River, the main source of contamination in the lake, he said.

The location of most of the irregular waste dumping sites results in contamination being carried to the lake by rain, Víctor Arriaza, delegate from the Atitlán Sustainable Management Authority, told Tierramérica.