BOLIVIA
The Courage to Protect the River
By Danitza Defilippis Chavez
The water for the City of La Paz, Bolivia, comes from the melting snows of the high Andes. At its source high in the mountains water quality is excellent and the fish are safe to eat. But the purity of these waters does not last for long as it races down the mountains and through La Paz.

The Choqueyapu River, based on recent studies, has been pronounced biologically dead.

Wastewater from factories and sewage from drains, homes, hospitals, and the municipal slaughterhouse are dumped untreated into the river. Although La Paz is a city of about a million inhabitants, no measures are taken whatsoever to remove pathogens, heavy metals, chemicals, detergents, and other poisons from the water. At the same time, due to lack of education, garbage is commonly dumped indiscriminately on the river banks.

The Choqueyapu Riverkeeper program was launched to teach
citizens of La Paz that they have the right and responsibility to protect their river. The first priority for the program was to educate the public about the problems of water contamination and to build support for our vision of clean, safe water. We promoted educational campaigns with schools and universities. We held media events, organized public rallies, and hosted neighborhood workshops to report on the pollution of our rivers.

In 2000, this effort culminated in a petition, signed by more than 10,000 citizens, demanding that the Mayor of La Paz ensure that industries treat their sewage, protect the food supply from the impacts of water pollution, and prevent the dumping of garbage into our waterways.

While Bolivia has a ten year old Law of the Environment on the books, it is rarely enforced in La Paz. The language of the law is quite strong, but it will take a combination of effective advocacy with government officials and overwhelming public support before they have the courage to stop
illegal pollution. The Riverkeeper program is actively working towards a time when the government and polluters will no longer be able to ignore public health or our environmental laws.