Assembly, which appoints senior management, the coopera their irrigation water as the groundwater resources were tives bylaws give the supervisory board veto rights over being mined. The dissertation examines the political ecology of urban water scarcity in cochabamba, and shows how hydrological, infrastructural, and social trends combine to create conditions of severe water scarcity for residents of the citys poorest residents. However, the country continues to suffer from what happens to be the continents lowest coverage levels and from low quality of services. Perspective on the aguas del tunari water concession in.
The communities of cochabamba taking control of their own water supply. Bolivia is a landlocked country in the heart of south america, whose people are proud of their indigenous heritage and cultures. In particular, periodic visits from management specialists were associated with a higher rate of household tap functioning, as well as. Travis driessen examines the democratic experiment in public water management institutionalized in cochabamba in the year 2000. Wash in schools fosters social inclusion and individual selfrespect. Under these circumstances, the government decided that private management of the water system was required to improve the water system, and that a publicprivate partnership would help increase operating efficiencies and improve service delivery. An assessment of menstrual hygiene management in schools, united. By identifying specific factors that constrain the process, he reveals the challenges participatory management in public water and sanitation companies face in practice. How cochabambas water war led to the reversal of privatization and recognition of selforganized water management in bolivia. A popular understanding of the water wars sees the events in cochabamba as the. For an indepth history of the water war, as told by one of its crucial participants, see oscar oliveras book, cochabamba. Providing adequate water and sanitation services has proved a major challenge. Between 2003 and 2005, the poor of the entire country drove out the neoliberal model of water management. Decisionmakers around water management in bolivia have been forced to rethink the planning of water to meet the demand of the population and guarantee the access that is also affected by climate change.
Cochabamba from water war to water management municipal. Gwp mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottomup orientation, and expertise. The water war protests erupted over water quality and were met by a violent standoff between civilians and the bolivian military. Th e wealth of water by rathburn and baum page questions. The citys population has increased rapidly, mostly due to the migration of citizens from neighboring poor. The cost of water tripled and it became necessary to buy a license to access water resources and a licensing system for collecting rainwater was also introduced. Dec 19, 2008 62 bearing these limitations in mind, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that certain types of postconstruction support have had a positive impact on rural water systems in cochabamba and chuquisaca. Bolivias drinking water and sanitation coverage has greatly improved since 1990 due to a considerable increase in sectoral investment. Cochabamba and the aguas del tunari consortium background. Effects of urban water scarcity on sociability and. The outcome of a failed water privatisation in cochabamba, bolivia, has become a.
From a situation of service privatization, limited access, and an inexistent institutional framework in 2000, the current situation in the cochabamba valley faces increasing water scarcity within a weak institutional set up. This article was adapted from our latest book, sharing cities. Pdf the cochabamba water war 2000 is well renowned for being a part of the civil society versus water service delivery debate. At the same time, water losses in the the management board, thus perpetuating stability. Information about the openaccess article communitarian water management in bolivia. Bolivia, 15 years on from the water war the democracy center. Water and wastewater management are considered important issues in cochabamba, as shown by relatively high connection rates. Through the water war of april, 2000, the poor of the city and countryside of cochabamba succeeded in expelling the multinational corporation which tried to charge them for this most basic common good. Two years ago, a popular protest there turned into a deadly riot. Cochabamba water revolt timeline frontline world bolivias war over water the democracy center the cochabamba water revolt and its aftermath by jim shultz pdf water war in cochabamba bolivia and future scenarios from blue gold. Such interventions are increasingly implemented in both development and humanitarian emergency contexts. The cochabamba water agenda echoes this debate on the political arena and contributes a politically contested water management through a paradigm change envisaging the difficulties through its implementation. The government raised water rates in cochabamba by an average of 35 percent, effective in january 2000.
Clean water in bolivia where we work water for people. The case study of water privatisation in the city of cochabamba, bolivia, illustrates how this emerging logic is reconfiguring the management of urban water networks with a shift from large supply options towards greater consideration of user needs and extension of the network to unconnected communities. Sustaining the benefits of rural water supply investments. Submit an electronic pdf application with all materials as one file with the. However, the socalled cochabamba water war contributed to major changes in bolivias water sector, the respective laws, the establishment of a national ministry of the environment and water, and of the country as a whole. Collective management strategies and elite resistance in.
The right to water edited by farhana sultana and alex loftus. Dear workshop participants, this paper is a chapter which i am revising for the right to water, a book that will appear in 2011, edited by geographers farhana sultana and alex loftus. Cochabamba is a distinct location to study governance issues associated with water because the city is famous for protests known as the cochabamba water. Cochabamba is the thirdlargest city in bolivia, with some 600,000 people. This mural in cochabamba, bolivia, was created in as part of the events marking the 10th anniversary of the the water war, in which the local population rose up and reversed the privatization of their water supply and its takeover by the multinational bechtel. Our mission is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development our unique value. The river basin approach and local water management.
By identifying specific factors that constrain the process, he reveals the challenges participatory management in. The cochabamba water war 2000 is well renowned for being a part of the civil society versus water service delivery debate. The concession was finally cancelled on the 10th of april 2000, and the citys water utilities were returned to public control shultz 2003. If so, what restrictions, if any, should be imposed. In 1999 the us company bechtel was granted the concession to manage water services in cochabamba, bolivias third largest city. Do you agree with this belief or do you think water is a commodity that can be bought and sold. Water resources for cochabamba will also be increased by the misicuni dam project which is under construction. The cochabamba water revolt and its aftermath jim shultz in the opening months of the year 2000, the people of cochabamba, bolivia, took to the streets by the thousands. Aguas del tunari began operating the citys water and wastewater system november 1, 1999.
Gender dimensions of communitymanaged water systems 2 include women in water planning and decisionmaking. A history of water in 20thcentury bogota virtual exhibition. The consortium did not buy and did not own cochabambas water utility or water resources. In this unit, students explore water privatization and freshwater access issues within the geophysical and cultural context of cochabamba, bolivia. Cochabamba is a town of 800,000 situated high in the andes mountains of bolivia. Water resources assessment of bolivia i executive summary bolivia is rich in hydrologic resources, although the spatial distribution and the temporal variation in hydrologic activity complicate the efficient use and management of these resources. Jan 05, 2019 moverover, the state is currently trying to extend its sphere of control into the water sector. The countrys rivers range in size from navigable yearround to seasonal and shortlived.
Jun 09, 2016 the communities of cochabamba taking control of their own water supply. The cochabamba water agenda is presented as an opportunity to address the challenges in water management in the cochabamba department, mainly in the cochabamba valley. However, travelers first glimpse of cochabamba is often one of poverty neighborhoods surrounding the airport display unpaved roads, adobe homes, and often require weekly water deliveries. Communitarian water management in bolivia the case of. Bolivia has traditionally undertaken different water resources management approaches aimed at alleviating political and institutional instability in the water sector. The shortlived water privatization attempt in cochabamba unequivocally failed, rendering this water management model untenable in the.
An emerging logic of urban water management, cochabamba. Community water management represents a third option. The cochabamba system continued at a high 40 percent. Th e people of cochabamba were protesting the privatization of their water system because they felt that water is a basic human right. Cochabamba, bolivia, urban water expansion case study water. Comanagement and expansion of services in the southern zone most water supplies in the southern zone, a poor and marginalised part of cochabamba, are organised through 120 water. Bechtel perspective on the aguas del tunari water concession in cochabamba, bolivia. This is until the government finally brokeoff contracts with the british investors. The communities of cochabamba taking control of their own. Bolivia in 1999, the bolivian government privatized the water supply in the andean city of cochabamba, taking the earths most precious resource away from over 500,000 people. Working in 99 communities 50 in chuquisaca and 49 in cochabamba, data were collected from 2365 households, as well as from the community water and sanitation committee and a womens group in each locale. The urban share of bolivias population has doubled since the late 1970s. In terms of power relations, however, there has been a significant shift in the relative influence of actors in the urban waterscape.
Most noticeably, the water committees are now playing a much more visible role in cochabamba water politics. Water management institutions are fundamental to human societies, and when combined with dynamic. Departing from an administrative rationalisms centralized, bureaucratic approach of resource management, cochabamba needs to adopt a more networked, transmedia. Paz and cochabamba becomes a relevant challenge to show analyse the. In 2012, 89% of the population were connected to piped water supply, and 62% were connected to a sewer system operated by municipal actors or cbos see section s1 in the online supplemental. Back in 2002, when i was a young, wetbehindtheears water management masters. In cochabamba, bolivia, the lack of water has caused conflicts for decades. For over thirty years, the water services in cochabamba, bolivia were. The consortium did not buy and did not own cochabamba s water utility or water resources. The case study of water privatisation in the city of cochabamba, bolivia, illustrates how this emerging logic is recon guring the management of urban water networks with a shift from large. Water management spaces in the pucara basin, bolivia page 181 a paradigm confronting reality. Gender dimensions of communitymanaged water systems. Cochabamba is an important example of a different water governance.
They were protesting the takeover of their city water system by a subsidiary of the u. Importance of internal factors for communitymanaged water. The question remains if this political solution to paradigm change in water management may reduce water conflicts. The third dublin principle, endorsed at the international conference on water and the environment, recognized that women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water bustamante, peredo, and. Mar 10, 2008 travis driessen examines the democratic experiment in public water management institutionalized in cochabamba in the year 2000.
In 2012, unicef and the center for global safe water at emory university initiated a programme to. Pdf an emerging logic of urban water management, cochabamba. Fifteen years ago this month the people of cochabamba, bolivia were victorious in their nowfamous showdown with one of the most powerful multinational corporations in the world, in what has come to be known as the cochabamba water revolt. The private water industry, dominated by a handful of multinationals and their subsidiaries, stands to benefit handsomely as the global water crisis deepens. Political economy of water privatization claridge 4 people of cochabamba persisted in their demands until they achieved their final goal and ended private participation in the water sector. These corporations and other proponents of water privatization argue that the private sector. Bolivias president has set ambitious goals to reach universal access to drinking water services by 2020 and sanitation services by 2025. According to the opinion of the authors, the point that makes of the cochabamba an interesting case is the fact that, in addition to improving the situation through institutional reform or by taking a power struggle approach, there was political will to rethink the values that sustain water management. Most noticeably, the water committees are now playing a. In 1999, cochabambas public water supplier, semapa, was leased to the international consortium aguas del tunari. How cochabamba s water war led to the reversal of privatization and recognition of selforganized water management in bolivia. The major shareholder of the consortium was the multinational company. As of present, the bolivian government has embraced a lateral perspective towards the creation and implementation of water sanitation and distribution systems.
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