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Losing the watershed focus: a look at complex community-managed irrigation systems in Bolivia

2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 37; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/02508060.2012.733675

1941-1707

Cecilia Saldías, Rutgerd Boelens, Kai Wegerich, Stijn Speelman,

Politics and Society in Latin America

Abstract Water policies tend to misrecognize the complexity of community-managed irrigation systems. This paper focuses on water allocation practices in peasant communities of the Bolivian interandean valleys. These communities manage complex irrigation systems, and tap water from several surface sources, many of them located outside the watershed boundaries, resulting in complex hydro-social networks. Historical claims, organizational capacity, resources availability, and geographical position and infrastructure are identified as the main factors influencing current water allocation. Examining the historical background and context-based conceptualizations of space, place and water system development are crucial to understanding local management practices and to improving water policies. Keywords: community-managed irrigation systemswater allocationwater managementwater transfersBoliviaAndes Acknowledgements Field research for this paper has been executed within the framework of the international research alliance Justicia Hídrica/Water Justice (see www.justiciahidrica.org). The authors thank the staff of Centro AGUA. Special thanks to Alfredo Duran, Rigel Rocha and Vladimir Cossio for their support during fieldwork. Additionally, Dr Stijn Speelman would like to thank the Research Foundation Flanders for funding his Post-doc fellowship. Notes 1. For water allocation among/within communities in terms of quantity and opportunity, see Saldías et al. (Citation2011). 2. Elaborated by Centro AGUA; information extracted includes communities' names, number of families, time allotment (water rights) and discharges. This information was incomplete and has therefore been complemented with other sources. 3. In total, 14 interviews were conducted in 2009 with former staff of the project (3) and community members and leaders (11). Names remain confidential. 4. Bread, alcoholic beverages and dairy products. 5. In the 1970s, the German cooperation supported (technically and financially) irrigation projects in Bolivia for agricultural development. The PRAV project included two projects: Huarina in La Paz and Punata in Cochabamba. The latter had two phases: Phase 1 involved the improvement of existing infrastructure (storage capacity of LR, LK-ML and Koari) and Phase 2 involved the construction of the TK reservoir for new users from both Punata and Tiraque. The Huarina project stopped and the Punata project (Proyecto de Riego Inter-Valles - PRIV) continued, focusing on Punata-Tiraque (personal communication, former project staff). 6. Discrepancies exist regarding the number of communities and users. It is not possible to verify this in official minutes. 7. The idea to operate the three reservoirs jointly required a process of "homologation of water rights"; this would find correlations between water rights from the different reservoirs. Assuming there would be sufficient water in the TK reservoir, a volume of 3200 m3/y was established as one share. New irrigators could acquire shares in TK directly, while those benefitting from LR and/or LK-ML had to complete their shares with water rights in TK reservoir. Consequently, one irrigator could have a time allotment in either LR and/or LK-ML, and in TK, to complete one or two shares. 8. Ley de Promoción y Apoyo al Sector Riego para la Producción Agropecuaria y Forestal. No. 2878. 08 de octubre de 2004. Retrieved from: http://www.sederi-ch.gob.bo/sites/all/themes/ubiquity/publicaciones/Ley%20de%20Riego%202878.pdf 9. Registration: administrative act by means of which the State, through the National Irrigation Service (SENARI), recognises and grants the right to the use of water sources for irrigation to indigenous and first nations people, indigenous and peasant communities, associations, organizations and peasant unions, guaranteeing juridically and permanently water resources according to uses and customs.Authorization: administrative act by means of which the State, through the National Irrigation Service (SENARI), grants the right to the use of water for irrigation in the agricultural and forestry sector to legal or individual persons that are not contemplated as subjects of Registration (Ley de Promoción y Apoyo al Sector Riego para la Producción Agropecuaria y Forestal, Ley N° 2878, Ley de 8 de octubre de 2004. Retrieved from: http://www.sederi-ch.gob.bo/sites/all/themes/ubiquity/publicaciones/Ley%20de%20Riego%202878.pdf, authors' translation). 10. For the 42 authorizations completed, see http://www.senari.gob.bo/regulacion.asp, and for the 11 in process, see http://www.senari.gob.bo/regulacion2.asp