Bertha Apaza, a local resident, said the extreme heat was a clear sign of shifting climates that had now forced the city to ration water use. Bolivia has experienced some of the most extreme temperatures in August and September, which are usually temperate months. Many of those living in El Alto, a city of around one million people, come from farming communities raising livestock and planting vegetables to survive. Members of the scientific community warn the situation could become critical with the El Nino weather pattern set to arrive in December, potentially altering the forecast and turning up the temperature. El Nino can prompt extreme weather events from wildfires to cyclones and droughts in some areas and more rainfall in others.

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Persons: Isabel Apaza, Gabriel Flores, Claudia Morales, LA, Bertha Apaza, Mancilla, Oscar Paz, El Nino, Monica Machicao, Santiago Limachi, Sergio Limachi, Daniel Ramos, Lucinda Elliott, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, American, Southern, Authorities, El, Universidad Mayor de, Thomson Locations: Lake Titicaca, Huarina, Bolivia, LA PAZ, El Alto, Bolivian, La Paz, Neighboring Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Australia, Universidad Mayor de San Andres