Water is the basis of life, but there are such bodies of water on the planet from which it is better to stay away. And here are the deadliest ones.
Rio Tinto. Andalusia, Spain
The Rio Tinto, or Red River, is a toxic mixture of heavy metal mining by-products and acid drainage. From about 3000 BC. e. gold, silver, copper and other minerals have already been mined in areas around the river. The end result is technical waters that flow 62 miles from the Gulf of Cadiz. It is surprising that for all its danger to people, river waters are not devoid of life. Extremophilic anaerobic bacteria, which do not need air and are able to live in extreme conditions, live in Rio Tinto, where they feed on sulfide and iron in bottom rocks. The presence of microbes resistant to such an environment has attracted the attention of astrobiologists, who believe that riverine extraterrestrial conditions are similar to other worlds such as Mars and Europa.
Chitarum river. West Java, Indonesia
Providing water to 28 million people, Indonesia's Chitarum River is also one of the most polluted rivers in the world, if not the most. This is due to the fact that hundreds of different industries have become in the habit of polluting this water, dumping waste from textile production and other garbage into it. The river feeds rice fields, and its water is used for drinking and cooking. Families who once made their living by fishing have changed careers and are now fishing plastic bottles, rubber gloves and even broken chairs from the river. But there is still hope for salvation: in 2011, a 15-year reconstruction project worth four billion dollars was adopted.
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Boiling lake. Dominican Republic
Although it is only the second largest natural hot spring in the world, the Dominican Republic's Boiling Lake is the hottest. Boiling Lake is located in an area known as the Valley of Desolation. The water in it reaches a temperature of 82–92 ° C - and this is only at the edges, since no one has ever approached the center. At times, the water level in the lake drops sharply and also quickly recovers. All this madness is due to the volcanic pockets in the region.
Blue Lagoon. Derbyshire, UK
The British Blue Lagoon, originally called the Far Hill Quarry, is not really a lagoon. It is actually a former quarry that has been flooded since it closed and is the last place you want to swim. The blue color of the water is due to toxic chemicals found in the rocks, which give the lagoon a pH of 11.3. To give you an idea of how bad things are, ammonia has a pH of 11.5 and bleach has a pH of 12.6. In addition, the water contains debris, excrement and dead organics. Several times the lagoon turned black, but then cleared up.
Lake Horseshoe. California, USA
California is about sun, surfing and … poisonous lakes like Horseshoe Lake, located in the Mammoth Lakes region of Mono County. The reservoir is replete with highly concentrated carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The toxic cocktail killed not only 170 acres of trees, but also people. In 1998, a 58-year-old tourist fell victim to the lake, and in 2006, three ski patrolmen. The toxic air is the result of the underground volcanoes that dot the region.
Lake Mono. California, USA
Lake Mono in California is one of the oldest lakes in the United States and one of the deadliest. The lake has accumulated a large amount of salt, resulting in a salinity of three times that of the ocean and a pH of 10. Although all this salt has produced amazing pillars of calcareous tuff, it has also made the lake dangerous. Shrimp, flies and some types of algae are the only living creatures that live there. Birds live there only until they decide to take a sip, so the banks are strewn with their bodies.
Lake Kivu. Central Africa
Lake Kivu is deadly due to the vast reserves of methane and carbon dioxide stored beneath it. By themselves, gas storage facilities are safe, but, say, a volcanic eruption is enough for them to be ejected. And there are many volcanoes in the area, making the Kivu a ticking time bomb and a threat to millions of people in the area. Also, an explosion can be caused by an attempt to extract these gases. A methane deposit under the lake could solve Rwanda's energy problems, but one wrong step and several areas will go up in air.
Lake Karachay, Chelyabinsk region, Russia
Located in the Ural Mountains, Lake Karachay is not far from the large production association Mayak, which once produced plutonium. In addition to leaks of hazardous substances, strontium-90 and cesium-137 were dumped into the lake. After staying by the lake for about an hour, you can get a lethal dose of radiation.