“In the past, Lake Yanacocha and Lake Chaquishkacocha served as watering places for the livestock of the villagers of Tambohuasha. But the lakes have disappeared because there is less rain and the climate has become warmer. Now they have to bring water for their animals through a pipeline from the nearby Carihuayrazo Mountain.
In the last ten years, the livestock in the Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve has had to move higher and higher in order to access water and grazing land—which depends on water.
The last ‘Hielero’ of Chimborazo
In the past, Indigenous people above these lakes used to extract ice from the glaciers of Chimborazo—the so-called ‘Hieleros’ (ice men)—and sell it to the people in the city. Nowadays, there is only one Hielero left, Don Baltasar Ushca.
He told me that in the past, Chimborazo was quite cold and rainy, and that snow usually remained all the way down to the communities; at 4,000 meters, it could reach up to 40 cm deep.
Today, the ice only begins at 5,500 meters altitude, and there is no more snow!”
-Mr. Olmedo Cayambe, Managing Director of CORDTUCH, the municipal tourism association of Chimborazo(2013)
MELTING AT THE EQUATOR
The smaller glaciers of the Andes below 5,100 meters above sea level have become severely imbalanced due to current climate changes. Since 1985, Ecuador has lost around 35% of its glacier area. While the glacier on the Carihuairazo volcano has now completely disappeared, Iliniza Sur has lost over 80% of its ice cover. Glaciers such as Cotopaxi, Antisana, and Chimborazo are also experiencing massive losses as a result of rising global temperatures.¹
LIVELIHOODS AND MELTWATER
Meltwater is essential for agriculture, water supply, and energy production. During droughts, the use of glacier water triples. Rural regions, in particular, are heavily dependent on this resource. Glacier loss threatens livelihoods, leads to conflicts, and destabilizes ecosystems. Adapting to this development can mean, for example, that energy supply is not solely reliant on hydropower. The consequences of a one-sided energy supply became evident in 2024, when Ecuador, which depends heavily on hydropower, experienced an extreme drought.
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