Research

In Bolivia cities, statistics reflect a high access to water coverage and a lower coverage of basic sanitation. The phenomenon can be observed in the city of El Alto. A socio-economic analysis conducted in two neighborhoods, with access to water through the public mains, showed, in one of them,...

Official figures on the access to water show almost total coverage in Bolivia's cities and a lower coverage of basic sanitation, which suggests an improvement in the quality of life of the population. An analysis of the socio-economic situation of the inhabitants of two neighborhoods of El Alto...

As in many large cities, the now prevailing technical model for producing and distributing water in La Paz and El Alto is that of a centralized network serving the whole population of the two cities. La Paz and El Alto are no exception to the reality of the major cities of the Global South,...

On the occasion of the Generation Equality Forum which opened on June 30, 2021 in Paris, meeting with Carla Gutiérrez from the Gregoria Apaza Center for the Promotion of...

This essay analyzes the historical production of water inequities in the city of La Paz, Bolivia. It relies on the concept of ‘urbanization of water’ to present historical evidence and conceptual reflections about the justifications of actions and naturalization of outcomes regarding water...

In this paper, we analyze the process of water urbanization in the periphery of El Alto, in the context of the urban sprawl growth; thus, the administration of the public drinking water company puts into practice and tension multiple paths, ranging from the requirement of certain administrative...

The development of Bolivia’s Oruro photovoltaic power station entered its second phase in February. The major infrastructural project takes the country one step closer to boosting Bolivia’s energy supply. On 10 February 2021, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the French Embassy and the...

The landscape of springs in the municipality of La Paz has been shaped by glaciers and rainwater deposits accumulated for years. In view of the landslides, the springs were stigmatized by urban planning and diverted to the sewers. When the drought hit, they were sought after, since it was...

This policy brief is targeting State authorities involved in the water and sanitation sector, regardless of whether they are responsible for public policies, regulators, executors or projects financers seeking to meet the demands regarding access to water in the city of El Alto. The process of...

Urban drinking water services are a particularly prolific research object to think about inequalities in the city because they are by definition at the interface of economic, social and environmental problems and they invite to reflect on the sustainability of the territories. Beyond the...

This article is part of the research carried out in the Señor de Mayo I and San Carlos neighborhoods of district 8 of the city of El Alto, which are part of the peri-urban territories resulting from the accelerated growth of the urban sprawl over the last two decades. Here, the price of land is...

During the past twenty years, participation of the private sector in the field of essential services has been a topic of much discussion, allowing the expression of very different viewpoints and the multiplication of disciplinary approaches around this question. However, little work has been...

The urban-rural interface territories, as well as their inhabitants, play a key role in the collection and distribution of water resources for the city, often because the sources and infrastructures are located in these territories. This is the case of the Hampaturi basin, one of the main water...

The Bolivian government is transforming its electricity mix in favor of renewable energies. AFD is supporting this project through the construction of a photovoltaic solar power plant. The objective: to increase the share of electricity generated by renewable energies and reduce greenhouse gas...

This article reflects on the emergence of asymmetries in the institutionality of the water and sanitation sector, primarily caused by the presence of political, social and economic forces that catalyze a process of liquefaction of sectoral and competence-driven regulations by the main actors. In...

Many works focus on water conflicts in urban or rural areas, but very few try to understand what happens in spaces where boundaries are diffuse. In this article, we analyze the tensions and conflicts that arise in the urban-rural interface of Hampaturi, located on the northwest edge of the urban...

AFD is providing support to the Bolivian authorities for the deployment of a vast water resources management plan, via its Fund for Technical Expertise and Experience Transfers.

Based in La Paz, AFD's Bolivia office is attached to the Andes Regional Division.

This policy brief is aimed primarily at decision-makers at the municipal, regional and national levels, as well as at non-governmental institutions, neighborhood councils and private institutions. As a result of the accelerated growth of the urban sprawl in recent decades, the peri-urban areas...