Bolivia Water Crisis Suez
The wave of demonstrations and police violence was described as a public uprising against water prices.
Bolivia water crisis suez. The aguas del illimani consortium is owned jointly by the french water giant suez formerly suez lyonnaise des eaux and a set of minority shareholders that includes the international finance corporation ifc of. Undeterred the french water giant suez company picked up a lucrative concession to provide water to the el alto area of the bolivian capital la paz. In a recent report for the world bank group sarah botton et al. And a second one in cochabamba to aguas del tunari a subsidiary of the.
Bolivia s new constitution enacted in 2009 proclaims that access to water is a human right and bans its privatization. La paz residents have been protesting over months long water shortages which they say should have been avoided. Cover the current crisis and explain how a blend of big system water infrastructure in which a single operator manages the piped system and small system infrastructure in which individuals informally control water resources can help conditions in la paz bolivia s capital and el alto a large adjacent city. As a global expert in the water and waste sectors suez helps cities and industries in the circular economy to preserve optimize and secure the resources essential to our future.
A second water revolt this time by neighborhood organizations in the sprawling indigenous city of el alto ousted the french multinational suez company from the recently privatized la paz el alto water district. Aisa a subsidiary of the french suez formerly lyonnaise des eaux in 1997. However in 1997 the de lozada s government started a privatization process across all sectors in the country including water utilities. The tensions erupted when a new firm aguas del tunari.
The solution championed by manfred reyes cochabamba s mayor and backed by bolivia s current government is a 450m scheme to pipe water from a group of rivers one of which the misicuni gives. One in la paz el alto to aguas del illimani s a. Water service and sanitation in la paz and el alto were handed over to the company aguas del illimani s a a subsidiary of suez lyonnese des eaux with grants from the world bank. Bolivia is suffering its worst drought in 25 years.
The water and sewer system of el alto was privatized to aguas del illimani in july 1997 when the world bank made water privatization a condition of a loan to the bolivian government.