April 4, 2008

Last week I had the honour of being invited to participate in a meeting of Bolivian water experts, organized by the Executive Committee of Bolivian Universities. The meeting was held in Trinidad, the capital city of Bolivia’s north-eastern department of Beni and the centre of a national disaster as aUnder water: A glimpse of the flooding that has affected thousands of Bolivians, principally in the department of Beni. result of this year’s flooding.

Trinidad is a wonderful city that, at first glance, seems to have little in common with Sucre… the climate, flora and fauna, food, music, dress, etc. are all very different. I could have easily been convinced that I had travelled to another country all together – such is Bolivia’s diversity!

The meeting was designed for Bolivian water experts to assess this year’s flooding and evaluate plans to minimize the damage next year and beyond. As part of our assessment, the Brazilian air force (in Bolivia to provide relief) generously gave us a bird’s eye view of the flood in one of their new Blackhawk helicopters. The centre of the city of Trinidad is protected by a dyke, but the surrounding area remains severely flooded, months after the rains have peaked. The land looked more like a coastal delta than the outskirts of a riverside town, hundreds of kilometers inland. Thousands of Bolivian families have been displaced by the flooding and many farmers and cattle ranchers in the area have lost theirFlood refugees: Refugee camps line the roads around the Bolivian city of Trinidad. livelihoods. It was proposed that a more extensive, earthen “deflector dyke” be constructed during this year’s dry season to protect a greater area surrounding Trinidad in the coming years, but the “campesinos” (rural people) will remain as vulnerable as ever.

The UN recently reported that the flood appeal remains under-funded (http://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26022&Cr=bolivia&Cr1=).

If you are interested in contributing to humanitarian aid in the region, please try contacting Oxfam (see http://www.oxfam.org/en/news/2008/pr080214_bolivia_flooding) or the Red Cross (see http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/08/08013103/).