In La Paz, Bolivia, more than three hundred citizens marched to the Incachaca dam, where they gathered to pray for rain and an end to a severe drought that threatens their water supply. The ten reservoirs that supply the city of La Paz, with a population of around 2.2 million people, currently only have a combined total of 135 days’ worth of water, according to Bolivia’s state-owned water company EPSAS.
Under the scorching sun, women wearing traditional bowler hats and vibrant skirts walked alongside young men playing drums and native flutes, all hoisting umbrellas to protect themselves from the heat. Upon their arrival at the dam, they knelt in prayer, speaking in Aymara, Quechua, and Spanish, with closed eyes and hands raised to the heavens. Susana Laruta, a member of a local evangelical Christian church, expressed that they have gathered at the summit to cry out for rain.
If the city does not receive significant rainfall, its water supplies will be depleted by February. While the rainy season is expected to begin in December, the latest forecasts do not offer much hope. The national meteorological agency has predicted only scarce rain due to the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, which is associated with extreme weather conditions.
Local Methodist bishop Bernardo Vedia attributed these changes to climate change and emphasized the purpose of their prayer gathering as a collective plea to God for rain to fall on the earth.
Reporting by Santiago Limachi and Sergio Limachi; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Edwina Gibbs
Credit: The Star : News Feed
