Water, a scarce resource in the Cochabamba valley
Because water is scarce in the region surrounding the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, people manage it carefully. In this large, semi-arid valley in the Andes, it hardly rains between April and October. To produce anything during these months, farmers need water from dams or wells.
My novel will focus on small farmers (or campesinos) defending their access to this precious element, so I wanted to see how well they managed it.
I went to Tiraque again, one hour east of Cochabamba city. Filiberto Barrios, of the Tiraque Water and Services Association, told me that each community has a committee for each of the three dams that serve the area. When a certain amount of dam water is released, each committee directs it to the farmers who have a right to it.
The water comes rushing by the farmers' fields. It's hard work to breach the dirt canal and direct the flow toward every square metre of soil that needs moisture. The farmers keep an eye on the clock as they work. When their alloted time is up, they seal the breach to let the water make its way to the next rights holder. Social peace in the community rests on their compliance.
With this kind of control over existing water sources, it's no wonder that campesinos are suspicious of any new water project in their region that doesn't involve them. Irrigation committees and associations such as these ones play an important role in my novel. Their opposition to the digging of new wells to supply water to the city of Cochabamba is the main conflict in my story.
Two farmers in Millu Mayu, a Tiraque community, take a short break. They are working to direct water from the Pachaj Qhöcha dam to every corner of their fields. Together they have the right to two hours of water flow.
