S.O.S. Ypacaraí Lake campaign within the framework of the project Monitoring system for pollutants using aquatic drones in Paraguay.

The S.O.S. Lago Ypacaraí campaign was created with the aim of raising awareness of the situation of Lago Ypacaraí and awakening interest in the general population, creating synergies between all sectors involved in the problem.

Among the activities of the campaign, weekly talks via Zoom have been included, with free access for all those interested, with expert professionals in the subject and with a long trajectory, belonging to different institutions and organizations. In addition, informative materials have been disseminated in different formats and artists, social referents, companies, among others, have joined the campaign.

The campaign has had great repercussion in the Paraguayan media (press, television, radio), as well as in social networks.

The problem of the lake

For decades, Lake Ypacaraí has been suffering from a cyclical phenomenon that in certain seasons produces concentrations, above normal values, of nitrogen and phosphorus, as a consequence, among others, of urban, domestic and industrial organic effluents and agricultural and livestock activities from the entire basin. The accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus favors the appearance and development of cyanobacteria, which can be a problem for other organisms in the aquatic environment and for humans.

The lake’s situation requires the intervention of the State and local authorities with public works for sanitation systems, control of effluents from economic sectors such as industry, agricultural and livestock production, as well as tourism initiatives. On the other hand, the inadequate disposal of solid waste by the citizens also pollutes the streams that eventually flow into the lake.

Technology to control pollution levels

The awareness campaign is part of the project “Monitoring system of pollutants in Lake Ypacaraí through the use of Unmanned Aquatic Surface Vehicles“, implemented by a consortium formed by the University of Seville, ETEA Foundation, Loyola Andalucía University, Ayesa Foundation, Alter Vida and the Faculty of Engineering of the National University of Asunción (FIUNA), with the support of the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID).

This initiative is aimed at contributing to the improvement of water resource management of Lake Ypacaraí, focusing on the monitoring of pollution levels through the use of autonomous surface vehicles (aquatic drones), a system that will provide data in real time.