Lake Poopó
Oruro, Bolivia · -18.55°, -67.08° · Drying lake
Bolivia's second-largest lake was declared evaporated in 2015, ending the fishing life of the Uru people on its shores.
Poopó sat on the high Altiplano at 3,700 m and depended on inflow from Lake Titicaca via the Desaguadero River. Upstream irrigation, mining withdrawals, sediment and warming temperatures tipped the shallow lake into collapse, and in December 2015 it was officially declared evaporated. Water has returned in some wet years but the lake has not recovered, and Uru Murato communities that fished it for centuries have scattered.
In the game
Lake Poopó flares up as Polluted water. The fix is a gesture: drag through the floating waste to sweep it up. Done right, it becomes Water cleaned ♻️. Finish all three steps of its chain in one round for a combo, or take your time in Explore mode: a place you fully restore stays green on your map for good.
🧭 Fly there and restore it▶ Play a 60-second round