Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

4 7 2 / P I L O T C A S E S T U D I E S : A F O C U S O N R E A L - W O R L D E X A M P L E SLake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia and PeruMap 21.4: Incidence of extreme events – frostMap 21.5: Incidence of extreme events – precipitation during periods ofdroughtFrost occurs less frequently in the centre of the lake system, where it occurs lessthan 150 days per year. Most of the system suffers from frost 150 to 300 days peryear, while the outer rims of the basin can have frost on more than 300 days.The northern part of the lake system receives more precipitation (morethan 100 mm) during drought periods than the southern part (less than80 mm).OverharvestingLand areas suitable for crops and pasture are comparatively lowerthan the occupied land, with the percentage of areas exploitedabove their capacity reaching 35.2 percent. This overexploitation isone of the serious environmental problems affecting the highplateau, especially considering the area’s very low productivity andthe rudimentary technology used to exploit it.Data and information on water resourcesSince the creation of the Binational Autonomous Authority of LakeTiticaca (ALT) in 1993, several efforts have been made toconsolidate the available information on water resources in theTDPS system. Most of the information was scattered among differentinstitutions in Bolivia and Peru. Early in the 1990s, internationalconsulting firms prepared a Master Plan that compiled most of theavailable information about the TDPS system.The creation of ALT and the elaboration of the Master Planallowed data and information from different sources to besystematized and it is now possible for Bolivia and Peru to sharethis information through ALT. However, it is still necessary toimprove data collection and dissemination and to standardize theinformation generated by different institutions.