From the village of Copapayo, Noel Avalos recalls the morning they ran to the shore of Lake Suchitlán, El Salvador's main hydroelectric reservoir, to find thousands of dead fish had washed up overnight.
By August 2025, nearly 70% of the lake's 135 sq km surface was carpeted with an invasive species, water lettuce.
>>> Roush's Baby Ram TRX Sounds Angrier Than It Really Is
In the following months, plastic waste accumulated along the shoreline, dead fish became more frequent and residents who rely on fishing reported that their livelihoods were deteriorating.
Nearly a year later, no explanations have been provided; the Salvadorian authorities remain silent, and questions about responsibility go unanswered.
Ecological and Economic Stakes
Lake Suchitlán is a Ramsar site – a wetland home to 12 of El Salvador's 14 native fish species, as well as cougars and ocelots at risk of extinction.
It also feeds the Cerrón Grande dam, which supplies roughly 28% of the country's hydroelectric power.
If Lake Suchitlán collapses, at stake is the nation's food security, power generation and public health, say experts.
For fishers, who earn about $15 a day, the lake's 2025 collapse forced them to join clean-up crews and rely on relatives' income or crops.
The military was also mobilised to assist with the operation.
The pollution has also affected tourism.
Local guides say visitors who once came for boat tours, birdwatching and lakeside restaurants stopped coming as the water turned opaque and foul-smelling.
"The clean-up seemed impossible," said Alberto Castillo, a boat operator.
