In the Andes, Bright Colors Tell the Dark Story of a Dying Lake

A vivid slash of unsettling color cuts across the shores of Bolivia’s Lake Uru Uru, more than 12,000 feet above sea level. The bright oranges and reds evoke the costumes of an elaborate, ancient annual carnaval held nearby in Ororu, the country’s fifth-largest city. In the past, the lake itself seemed to turn pink when thousands of flamingos visited for several months each year. Now the lake and its city make headlines for the wrong reasons. Increasing urbanization is outpacing infrastructure and has fouled the waters with sewage and clogged…

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