Locals have been left mystified after a UNESCO lake named after the God of Thunder suddenly went dry – and nobody knows why it happened.
One of the lakes of the Metzabok (meaning God of Thunder) lagoon system in Lacandon Jungle in municipality of Ocosingo in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico has suddenly dried up and locals have no idea why.
Resident Armando Valenzuela said: “On Saturday night it appeared completely dry, but for a week the community was monitoring it to look after the species.”
Around 150 residents reportedly took fish and moved them to other lakes, although some used them to feed their families.
Photos show how the normally full lake is now completely dried up. Reports state the lagoon system began to show a decrease in the water level at the beginning of the year. Four years ago it stopped raining every day in the region, as it had done in the past.
Local media report the lake, which is the main ecotourist centre in the region, went from full to dry in under 15 days.
Metzabok was decreed as a natural area of protection of flora and fauna in 1998 and is a UNESCO site. It is also considered a holy place by the Maya culture, according to local media.
Sources from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas have said that they have begun analysis to find the cause of the drop in water and they added that the lack of rain this year was a factor.
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Story By: Angjela Trajkovska, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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