It is the largest body of fresh water in Central America, and is considered the future source of drinking water for all of Nicaragua—and perhaps neighboring nations. Yet Lake Nicaragua, known here as Lago Cocibolca, currently serves as a sewage and garbage receptacle for thousands of impoverished residents living along its expansive and increasingly polluted shores. This state of affairs is about to change, the government says. Thanks to US$8 million in grant and loan funds from the German government, the Municipality of Granada—the largest of 34 local jurisdictions fronting the lake—is about to embark on a public-works project to expand its sewage-treatment system. Currently, that system treats just 25% of the waste generated by the city’s 113,000 residents... [Log in to read more]