http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3172572.stm
Last Updated: Thursday,
9 October, 2003, 13:33 GMT 14:33 UK
BBC
Melting glaciers
threaten Peru
[ Picture
of melting Andes glacier... ]
CAPTION #1:
"The Andes glaciers are disappearing fast"
[ Picture
of glaciers from satellite... ]
CAPTION #2:
"Nasa says its satellites have detected a crack in the glacier
near Lake Palcacocha"
[ Picture
of irrigation system... ]
CAPTION #3:
"The melting water is putting some of Peru's irrigation
system under strain"
[ Picture
of Peruvian village... ]
CAPTION #4:
"Villages in Peru have only the glaciers for fresh water"
Thousands of people in the Andes mountains of Peru are having
their
lives affected in both a practical and cultural way by climate
change,
which is causing the region's glaciers to melt.
This is already having
a major impact of some aspects of life for
the people who live in the mountains - and the government of the
country is worried that the situation could get much worse.
In the last three decades,
Peruvian glaciers have lost almost
a quarter of their area.
"This is an indicator
which gave us some concern on how the future
was going to be on these tropical glaciers," Patricia Iturregui,
head of the Climate Change Unit of Peru's National Council for
the Environment, told BBC World Service's One Planet programme.
"All our estimations
on the basis of this data are that in the
next 10 years the top tropical glaciers of Peru - and eventually
other Andean countries - above 5,500 metres will disappear
if climate conditions remain as the last 10 years."
Nasa fears
The most immediate
threat is coming from the change to water
supplies in the area.
During the dry season,
river water comes exclusively from the
glaciers, which melt naturally at that time of year. They then
replenish themselves in the wet season.
But this balance has
been upset - the glaciers are melting faster
than they can replenish themselves.
As they thaw, dozens
of new lakes have spread all over the highland.
A recent report by
US space agency Nasa suggested that a large
chunk of ice in the area could break off and fall into one of
these lakes, triggering a devastating flood.
Satellites had detected
a crack in the glacier overlooking
Lake Palcacocha.
One city under threat
would be Huaraz, with a population of
100,000. The news from Nasa came as a very worrying shock
to many in the city.
"We were all very
worried in my family - we packed suitcases
with clothes and blankets," Joana, one of the citizens of
Huaraz,
told One Planet.
"We warned our
relatives to be prepared."
Risk assessment
Some scientists dispute
Nasa's claims. Mario Giva, of the Peruvian
National Institute for Natural Resources, said that it was "necessary
for some work in the field to determine whether there is sufficient
evidence of any imminent danger".
Nevertheless, Nasa
is currently in conversation with the Peruvian
Government over these findings, which is drawing up plans to respond
to the risks posed by the melting glaciers.
"We need to make
an important effort to plan disaster management
and prevention of risks in the future," Ms Iturregui said.
"The most important
measures to be taken are to organise local
communities and to organise an institutional framework able
to respond to these adverse effects."
She added that an assessment
of water resources available
in the future was currently under way.
"We are in the
process of desertification," stressed Ms Iturregui.
"The retreat of
the glaciers is definitely going to mean
a shortfall in the water supply in years to come."
Tourism threat
Some in Huarez itself
recall when, in 1941, a chunk of ice
did melt off - and destroyed around a third of the city,
killing between 5,000 and 7,000 people.
But the melting glaciers
are also causing other problems.
The deluge is proving
too much for some of the canals
- some of which are many years old - that supply the farms
and mills in the central region.
Conversely, the fact
that the glaciers are not replenishing
themselves is also a potential threat to life in the region,
as in the dry season they are the sole source of fresh water.
And there are further
impacts on the lives of people in the mountains.
"Now, glaciers
are sliding over the bedrock," said glacier
expert Cecil Portocarrero.
"This is causing
problems - not only for water resources
but also for tourism, for climbers."
'Healing water'
banned
Meanwhile some ancient
spiritual traditions are also under threat.
Every year thousands
of people from across the Andes flock
to the Sinakara glacial mountain to attend the Qoyllur Rit'i
religious festival.
Catholic tradition
believes that the Christ child appeared
in 1870 to a shepherd boy named Marianito Mayta. Ever since,
pilgrims have believed that Christ lives in the rock.
And for the Incas -
and other civilisations that preceded
them - mountains were gods to be honoured, as they supplied
water and controlled the weather.
Many people come down
from the glacier with pieces of ice,
as they believe the ice can cure them of illness.
"They think it
acts like a medicine - like a sacred water,"
explained mountain guide Feri Coba.
"Perhaps at home
someone is not feeling well. They will drink it
and they will be cured."
Ritual ending
This year, because
of concerns about melting, the Pablitos
- the guardians of the Qoyllur Rit'i ceremony - have stopped
the ice being taken away.
"We decided to
eliminate this part of a ritual because we are
concerned about the glacier," explained one Pablito. "We
have
taken this decision to protect the ice."
The decision has upset
many pilgrims.
"The glaciers
were bigger - when I first came here this particular
one reached around 200 metres down," one said.
"In a few years'
time we might not have any ice. I don't know
where the Andean people will be able to go for their rituals."
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