Salt mining at Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni. The salt flat is the largest in the world and contains more lithium carbonate reserves than anywhere else (image: Jo VH/ Flickr )
Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni is not what it was. Located in the southwestern Potosí region, the once-immaculate 10,582 sq km salt plain – the second most popular tourist attraction in the country – has an unfamiliar hue.
Previously, on travelling across the blinding white surface, one could expect to come across mirages, multi-coloured lakes and even flamingos or geysers. This time there are no flashes of light or oases on the world’s largest salt flat, just an inestimable number of artificial lakes, clunking machinery and workers. The new complex of laboratories, pilot plants, prospecting wells and pools covering 27 sq km of the southeastern part of the plain, situated 140km from the town of Uyuni, represents the dreams of more than a generation of politicians – a national lithium industry.
