Pruned: Another Village Unvanishes

(Underwater since the 80s, the Andean town of Potosi, Venezuela, has reemerged after a severe drought has reduced water levels in a reservoir feeding a hydroelectric dam. Normally, the church spire is used as a depth gauge, but now it's calling attention to some of the most challenging global issues, specifically, climate change, water scarcity, environmental justice and alternative energy. Photo via Reuters. See also The Village Unvanishes.)

3 COMMENTS —

gpbusaf
February 28, 2010 at 10:03:00 PM CST
Its okay, scientists believe that in a few years the polar Ice caps will melt raising the depth of the ocean, thus flooding this area again. :)

Irish
March 4, 2010 at 1:15:00 PM CST
I'm not sure how to put this, but isn't this less of a concern than it sounds like? You could simply say that water levels are returning to their natural state, since that's the water level these buildings were constructed with. Wouldn't it be equally valid to be concerned about how HIGH the water levels were, if this whole town flooded in the 80's?

Alexander Trevi
March 4, 2010 at 1:32:00 PM CST
Actually, no. Because a dam prevents natural drainage of the watershed, flood levels are expected. The low water levels mean precipitation on this watershed is unusually low, which is the concern here.

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	Another Village Unvanishes Thursday, February 25, 2010 #climate_change #dams #energy #ruins (Underwater since the 80s, the Andean town of Potosi, Venezuela, has reemerged after a severe drought has reduced water levels in a reservoir feeding a hydroelectric dam. Normally, the church spire is used as a depth gauge, but now it's calling attention to some of the most challenging global issues, specifically, climate change, water scarcity, environmental justice and alternative energy. Photo via Reuters. See also The Village Unvanishes.) 3 COMMENTS — gpbusaf February 28, 2010 at 10:03:00 PM CST Its okay, scientists believe that in a few years the polar Ice caps will melt raising the depth of the ocean, thus flooding this area again. :) Irish March 4, 2010 at 1:15:00 PM CST I'm not sure how to put this, but isn't this less of a concern than it sounds like? You could simply say that water levels are returning to their natural state, since that's the water level these buildings were constructed with. Wouldn't it be equally valid to be concerned about how HIGH the water levels were, if this whole town flooded in the 80's? Alexander Trevi March 4, 2010 at 1:32:00 PM CST Actually, no. Because a dam prevents natural drainage of the watershed, flood levels are expected. The low water levels mean precipitation on this watershed is unusually low, which is the concern here. Post a Comment — Comments on posts older than a week are moderated — —— Newer Post Older Post —— Home	1