Water resources management in Bolivia
Evo Morales’ administration is currently developing an institutional and legal framework aimed at increasing participation, especially for rural and indigenous communities, and separating the sector from previous privatization policies.
The Parana basin represents approximately 42% of the total area of Bolivia and it is prone to droughts and desertification.
[3] The gradual decrease in Bolivia's water quality is due to the release of untreated effluents from industries and cities.
In the Amazon region, erosion and land use upstream, especially mining, deteriorate water quality due to high concentration of sediments.
For example, sugarcane production is considered one of the main causes in the decreasing on fisheries in the Rio Pirai (Santa Cruz)[1] Natural disasters directly affect Bolivia's development; because they cause capital losses, and damage hydraulic and other type of infrastructures.
Since year 2000, a notable increase in climate-related disaster situations have been observed in Bolivia, some of them associated with El Niño/La Niña events.
[2] In 2004, a prolonged drought affected the Chaco Region, which consists of the Departments of Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca and Tarija, threatened the food security, health and nutritional status of approximately 180,000 people, of which 15 percent were children.
El Niño 2006/2007 event caused economic losses estimated at US$0.44 billion or 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and affected about 133,100 families or 0.56 million people, equivalent to five times the population affected by El Niño 1997/1998.
However, the country continues to suffer from what happens to be the continent’s lowest coverage levels as well as from low quality of services.
These irrigation systems consist of rudimentary web of canals supplied by rainfall with few regulatory schemes such as dams, which makes them very vulnerable to seasonality of rain.
The endorreic basin, with little vegetation and precipitation and 40% of Bolivia's population, has traditionally been dedicated to agriculture and mining.
In the inter-Andean valleys, with steep slopes, there is a need for irrigation and terraces to avoid soil erosion.
The new law includes provisions for protection of traditional water-sharing arrangements through a system of official licenses and increase local communities participation in decision making processes such as the establishment of water tariffs.
The Agency for the Supervision of Basic Sanitation (SISAB), (Superintendencia de Agua y Saneamiento Basico) which grants concessions and licenses and establishes the principles to set prices, tariffs, taxes, and quotas,[11] was not modified by the new Law.
According to Vice-Minister Rene Orellana, this new legal framework would eliminate the SISAB and introduce a decentralized regulator in its place.
A preferential electricity tariff would be introduced for EPSAs and community water rights would be strengthened.
26599, is aimed at create a forum for government, social and economic organizations to agree on legal, institutional and technical aspects related to water resources management.
[1] Bolivia's national investment on water resources has been in decline at the beginning of this century but has increased in the last couple of years.
[13] (See article) The World Bank assists the Bolivian Government in a number of projects with a water resources management component including: (i) Water Related Adaptation to Climate Change, (ii) Emergency Recovery and Disaster Management; (iii) Adaptation to the Impact of Rapid Glacier Retreat in the Tropical Andes; (iv) Urban Infrastructure for the Poor; and (v) Community Development and Food Security.
