Bolivia receives loan to clean up polluted Lake Titicaca

Bolivia is receiving a loan worth 77.3 million U.S. dollars from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and a donation of 8 million dollars from the EU to clean up the polluted Lake Titicaca.

At a ceremony in La Paz, President Evo Morales said that Lake Titicaca, the largest in South America, "is sick" and must be cured.

"The treatment plants are a priority so this black water that leaves the city of El Alto does not reach Lake Titicaca. We must also avoid dumping trash and take care of the basins," he said.

Lake Titicaca sits on the Bolivia-Peru border at an altitude of over 4,000 meters. It receives the river Katari that is contaminated by the city of El Alto, one of Bolivia's busiest urban centers.

Residues from hospitals, industries and mines flow into Titicaca every day, turning its water green and topping it with a foul-smelling black sheen.

Environment Minister Alexandra Moreira said that the Titicaca project would also seek to clean up the Katari basin, through integral water treatment, removal of solid waste and sustainable services.

Alejandro Melandri, the IDB's representative in Bolivia, said that Titicaca is not only valuable for its tourist appeal but is also a source of life and development for thousands of people. Endi