Current Affairs:

Water Issues Recently Cochabamba ws in a state of emergency due to riots which spread in the city because of water issues. In the beginning of the year, the government decided to privatize the water rights of the city to a Aguas de Tunaria, a American owned company; this would have risen water prices 100%. In a city where most people only get about 2 hours of water a day, a 100% increase would have made accessibility to water impossible. On April 8, 2000, a state of emergency was ordered for Cochabamba because of the week of protest and blockades from the citizens. Under the state of emergency, general rights were suspended and people were no longer allowed to protest (however peacefully) in the streets. Finally, on April 11, 2000, the contract with Aguas de Tunari was breached and water rights were once again state owned. On April 22 the state of emergency was lifted. Many people do believe this is only a small victory for the people and many more things much change for the common people to be satisfied.     Pictures taken from http://lostiempos.com during the first week of April 2000.

The Coca Industry         Coca is not Cocaine- from a university parade in CBB

Coca has been grown in Bolivia for centuries. The two main coca growing regions are the Yungas in the northwest and the Chapare in the north of the department of Cochabamba. The Chapare grew 65% of Bolivia's coca in 1989. The country is the 2nd largest coca grower in the world and produced 15% of USA's cocaine in the late 80's. The government of Bolivia, due to tremendous pressure of the United States and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been trying to eradicate coca growing since 1983. Many farmers have been attracted to coca cultivation due to the high wages they are receiving since eradication efforts have started. Eradication has therefore affected the outputs of fruits and coffee cultivation in Bolivia, distorted labour markets as well as being generally inflationary to the economy, not to mention the war it has created between the government and the cocaleros (coca growers). However, the efforts, have only put a small dent in the cocaine industry. The issue has also resulted in a gap between the United States and Bolivia whose perceptions on the problem and the root of the problem are highly different. The drug war has been fought with the cocaleros: incarcerating them and threatening them yet the corrupt US and Bolivia government officials and druglords have been gaining from the unbeatable battle. From Library of Congress: Case Study on Bolivia and CSA Seminar Vol. V