Bolivia invests in prevention

(Caracas, March 6, 2012). - At the headquarters of CAF - Latin American development bank - in Caracas, President & CEO Enrique García and the Minister for Development Planning of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Viviana Caro, signed a US$27.5 million loan agreement for the Disaster Prevention Program which will initially be executed in the Rio Grande basin in Santa Cruz and in El Trópico de Cochabamba.

"As part of CAF’s commitment to its shareholder countries, these funds were approved for Bolivia with the objective of mitigating the impact of the natural disasters that have ravaged the country, and implementing works that will help prevent damage caused by these weather events in the future," García said during the signing of the agreement.

“We see as crucial - García added - the country's decision to make investments to execute works for prevention of natural disasters which can proactively prevent loss of life and protect the economic and social infrastructure."

Minister Viviana Caro said "this is a very important project which we have been executing with CAF for three years on two of the watersheds with the country’s highest agricultural production." "In these first two years we have recovered 75,000 hectares. With the new stage we plan to reach 100,000 hectares with very important participation by the private sector, and departmental and local governments."

In general, the new tendency of Latin American governments is to intensify preventative actions to reduce vulnerability and adapt to new climatic conditions.

The actions planned in this Program include structural works to prevent flooding in Bolivia’s most important river basins, with strategic projects for Rio Grande in Santa Cruz department, and the rivers in El Trópico de Cochabamba, whose rising level is an imminent danger to the inhabitants of the area.

The program - to be implemented by the Environment and Water Ministry - will benefit about 100,000 households in the municipalities of Shinaota and Villa Tunari in Cochabamba; and Colpa Bélgica, Cuatro Cañadas, El Puente, Fernández Alonso, Mineros, Okinawa, Pailón, Saavedra, San Carlos, San Juan, San Julián, San Pedro and Yapacaní in Santa Cruz. These localities have been severely affected by hydro-meteorological events in recent years with loss or destruction of crop land, road infrastructure, homes, and education and health facilities.