The Bright Pink Lagoon in Argentina

A lagoon in Argentina's southern Patagonia region has turned bright pink in a striking but frightening phenomenon due to pollution. Although pink coloured lakes can be formed by natural occurrences, in Corfo Lagoon, the cause of the colour change is anything but natural.

The colour is caused by sodium sulfite, an anti-bacterial product used in fish factories, whose waste is blamed for contaminating the Chubut river that feeds the Corfo lagoon and other water sources in the region, according to activists. The chemical is used to prepare prawns for export at the local fish-processing plants. These plants are required by law to treat their waste before dumping it, but one town has reportedly given them a pass on that rule. Usually, treatment companies truck their waste through the city of Rawson. However, in recent weeks, residents were frustrated with the heavy traffic of waste trucks and blocked the roads through the city in protest. Officials in Chubut then approved for companies to dump their waste in the lagoon, after which it started turning pink. Despite the exotic appearance, the water of the lagoon emits an unpleasant odour and collects hordes of flies. "Those who should be in control are the ones who authorize the poisoning of people," said environmental activist Pablo Lada, blaming the government for the mess. "The reddish colour does not cause damage and will disappear in a few days," said environmental control chief for Chubut province, Juan Micheloud. However, Sebastian de la Vallina, planning secretary for the city of Trelew disagreed: "It is not possible to minimize something so serious." The lagoon, which is not used for recreation, receives runoff from the Trelew industrial park and has turned the colour of fuchsia before. Additionally, dozens of foreign fishing firms work in the same region and waters, which fall under the Atlantic jurisdiction of Argentina. "Fish processing generates work, it's true," said Lada. "But these are multi-million-dollar profit companies that don't want to pay freight to take the waste to a treatment plant that already exists in Puerto Madryn, 35 miles away, or build a plant closing." They say green is the colour of greed. Perhaps pollution is pink. The discolouration of the Argentina lagoon signals a serious threat to the local ecosystem.

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