Helping to save Lake Atitlan

Conscious of the real threat of losing Lake Atitlan, considered one of the 10 most beautiful lakes in the world, due to the high levels of contamination and the periodic blooming of cyanobacteria, our club decided to become an active player in trying to prevent this scenario. We invested the funds raised locally through our ¨Festival Gastronómico¨, editions 2010 and 2011, in the construction of washing stations, toilets, water treatment plants and wetlands, in order to help reduce the contamination of the lake which is the only source of drinking water for many communities surrounding it. 

This was just the start of the project. A Rotary Global Grant authorized recently will allow us to replicate these installations on a much larger scale, and we will participate in another Global Grant focusing on the installation of proper latrines which will replace many inadequate latrines presently in place which contaminate the ground water and, downstream, the rivers feeding into the lake.