- Title: Farmers, boat operators fight over water in drought-hit Bolivia
- Date: 24th August 2021
- Summary: LA ANGOSTURA DAM, COCHABAMBA DEPARTMENT, BOLIVIA (AUGUST 21, 2021) (REUTERS) SIGN READING (Spanish): "La Angostura dam" DAM GATES CLOSE OF DAM GATE AND LITTLE WATER UNDER IT VARIOUS OF BOATS ON THE LAKE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENT OF ANGOSTURA'S NAUTICAL TOURISTIC ASSOCIATION, RUDDY GARCIA, SAYING: "We need a good water level to be able to offer a good service for tourists. A low water level means the navigation trips are shorter." BOAT DRIVER ON BOAT GENERAL OF BOATS ON THE LAKE VALLE ALTO DE COCHABAMBA, COCHABAMBA DEPARTMENT, BOLIVIA (AUGUST 20, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DRY WATERWAY VARIOUS OF DRY CROPS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FARMER, VICTORIA VERDUGUEZ, SAYING: "It's all dry, there's nothing. By this time we would have been growing corn to harvest it by Christmas. But now, look, everything is dry. That is what how we are affected when there is no water from La Angostura." VARIOUS OF FARMERS WORKING VARIOUS OF FARMER, JAIME ROCHA, SHOWING WELL HE BUILT TO EXTRACT WATER WITH A PUMP WELL WITH WATER (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FARMER, JAIME ROCHA, SAYING: "It is a social problem. The people living in Valle Alto, the ones who live around La Angostura dam want to take control of it. If they released the water from La Angostura dam by opening the gates, we would have water to improve our situation as farmers and milk producers." COW EATING VARIOUS OF MILK PRODUCER, VICTORIA VERDUGUEZ, FEEDING HER COWS VERDUGUEZ PLACING MILKING MACHINE ON UDDER VARIOUS OF WATER COMING OUT OF MILKING MACHINE WATER IN WELL VERDUGUEZ PLACING HOSE ON WELL COCHABAMBA CITY, COCHABAMBA DEPARTMENT, BOLIVIA (AUGUST 23, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BOLIVIAN SOCIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, GREGORY PAZ, SAYING: "Climate change is an increase in temperature which increases the evaporation, some areas will get drier. But this evaporation will fall someplace else, which will cause floods. Cochabamba, the south of Cochabamba and the area of the central valleys are the places where droughts will exacerbate. The dry and extremely dry years will become more frequent. That is where the La Angostura (dam) works, because it's a system that holds water, that stores the water surplus during the rain season and then distributes it the rest of the year. This year has been particularly dry." LA ANGOSTURA DAM, COCHABAMBA DEPARTMENT, BOLIVIA(AUGUST 21, 2021) (REUTERS) SIGN ON DIRT READING (Spanish): "Let's preserve the La Angostura Lake, a source of development and life" DAM GATES LAKE
- Embargoed: 7th September 2021 17:48
- Keywords: Bolivia angostura dam drought water
- Location: LA ANGOSTURA DAM, VALLE ALTO DE COCHABAMBA, COCHABAMBA CITY, COCHABAMBA DEPARTMENT, BOLIVIA
- City: LA ANGOSTURA DAM, VALLE ALTO DE COCHABAMBA, COCHABAMBA CITY, COCHABAMBA DEPARTMENT, BOLIVIA
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Environment,South America / Central America
- Reuters ID: LVA002ERN4F2F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A drought has caused farmers and tourist boat operators to fight on how the water of La Angostura dam in Bolivia should be used.
Farmers and milk producers are demanding the water to be released so they can feed their cattle and water their crops.
Touristic workers refuse to let the water from the dam flow because they need it to fill the artificial La Angostura lake.
This lake works as a tourist attraction that gives work to fishermen, restaurant owners and boat operators. Due to the pandemic and low vaccination rate in Bolivia tourism has been scarce.
Local media reported farmer organizations closed avenues and highways throughout the Cochabamba Department on Monday (August 23). The protesters demanded that the authorities fix the water shortage problem.
Member of the Bolivian Society of Environmental Management, Gregory Paz, says the drought is being fueled by climate change.
"The dry and extremely dry years will become more frequent," he added.
La Angostura dam and artificial lake were built in the 1940s to provide water for agriculture and cattle breeding in the nearby municipalities.
(Production: Diego Cartagena, Santiago Limachi, Monica Machicao, Nina Lopez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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