The lake in Patagonia, which turned pink overnight, caused panic among locals, but also disagreements among the authorities, writes Insider.
The source of the conflict is the permission of fishing companies to dump waste in Laguna de Corfu, 30 km from the town of Trelew in Chubuta.
According to experts and environmental activists, the lake was contaminated with pink liquid, sodium sulfide, an antibacterial agent that also contaminates the groundwater of the Chubut River and the water supply of the region’s cities.
However, the head of the Chubut province’s environmental protection, Juan Michelud, told AFP that the chemicals spilled into the water were not harmful: “Pink does not cause harm and will disappear in a few days.”
Although the incident happened four days ago, the lake is still pink.
The 10- to 15-hectare lake is located in the Trelew Industrial Park, which was founded by Welsh settlers more than 150 years ago. Fishing is important for the 600,000 inhabitants of Chubut, along with agriculture, food industry and tourism (near Puerto Madryn and Punta Tombo there are many whales and penguins).