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Cases / Water use · Bolivia · 2010–2015

EU-funded Programa Cuenca Poopó, Bolivia, 2010–2015: EUR 14.21 million planned for the Poopó basin

Nature's voice · report
In April 2015 the programme working in my basin had executed EUR 11,606,900.94, and its own document says the target of recovering my water sources to international norms was not feasible within its period.
Did nature suffer? Yes. Harm is on record. Accounts differ ↓
In my name
Recorded
Details not on record: 4 none on record · 3 disputed · 1 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Whether the programme's money was used effectively for the lake
  • Communities and civil society Luis Aguilar, former prefect of Oruro, and Severo Choque, former director of the departmental agricultural and livestock service (2015): The money was dispersed in "proyectos sin sentido" and work specific to the lake was not prioritised adequately. El Mostrador / BBC Mundo
  • International bodies Programme systematisation (2015): Reported more than 180 projects or actions and 94 conservation projects; stated that the water-recovery target was not feasible in the period and that mining compliance is a central gap. Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó

The Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó, financed by the European Union with Bolivian counterpart funds, planned EUR 14,210,000 over 60 months from April 2010 and reports EUR 11,606,900.94 executed by April 2015. The programme's own systematisation states that its water-recovery target was not feasible within the programme period; Lake Poopó was reported dry in December 2015.

EUR 14,210,000Total planned budget of the Programa Cuenca Poopó (EU and Bolivian counterpart), 2010–2015
Programme systematisation (2015): EUR 10,935,000 from the EU and EUR 3,275,000 counterpart; EUR 11,606,900.94 executed by April 2015.

Status As of April 2015: EUR 11,606,900.94 of EUR 14,210,000 executed; programme extended to December 2015; no independent evaluation found.

What?
An EU-financed programme with Bolivian counterpart funds, planned at EUR 14,210,000 over 60 months from April 2010, for sustainable management of the natural resources of the Poopó basin: basin policies, ecosystem conservation, poverty and migration reduction and local institutions. Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Where?
Seven municipalities of Oruro department (Huanuni, Machacamarca, Pazña, Poopó, El Choro, Antequera, Oruro) in the Poopó basin. OCMAL (Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina)
When?
Agreement signed 12 April 2010; execution phase announced 28 June 2011; Plan Director formulated February 2013 – October 2014; budget status April 2015; extended by the EU to December 2015. Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Who?
Gained
Lost
None on record
Harmed
Why?
Stated aim: sustainable management of the basin's natural resources to reduce poverty and improve quality of life in the affected municipalities. OCMAL (Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina)
How?
Projects submitted by the municipalities and financed through the programme, including a subsidy fund, pilot tailings dams, water supply and conservation projects, with the Gobernación de Oruro and municipalities coordinating under ministry supervision. Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
6 of 6 questions (what, who, where, when, why, how) have an answer on record

What happened

The record, in order.

The financing agreement for the Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó (Convenio DCI-ALA/2009/021-614) was signed on 12 April 2010 for 60 months; the European Union later extended it to December 2015. OCMAL, the Latin American mining-conflicts observatory, reported on 3 July 2011 a budget of EUR 14 million, of which the EU provided EUR 10 million and the Bolivian state EUR 3 million; seven municipalities (Huanuni, Machacamarca, Pazña, Poopó, El Choro, Antequera and Oruro) submitted 76 projects for an execution phase of 58 million bolivianos, and the first phase reached 44% of its objectives. BBC Mundo reported in December 2015 that the agreement was for about US$15 million. The programme's stated aim was "un manejo sostenible de los recursos naturales de la Cuenca Poopó".

A systematisation prepared in 2015 by GERENSSA S.R.L. for the programme records the budget as of April 2015: the EU planned EUR 10,935,000 and executed EUR 9,031,578.88 (83%); the counterpart planned EUR 3,275,000 and executed EUR 2,575,322.06 (79%); the total planned EUR 14,210,000 and executed EUR 11,606,900.94 (82%). It lists four components (basin policies and strategies; ecosystem conservation; poverty and migration reduction; local institutions) and reports more than 180 projects or actions benefiting over 85,000 people directly and indirectly, a Plan Director of the Poopó basin formulated by the GITEC–COBODES consortium between February 2013 and October 2014, 94 conservation projects, drinking water in 10 communities in four municipalities (about 6,500 people), sewerage in three municipalities, irrigation or micro-irrigation in 10 communities and the financing of three pilot tailings dams (Japo–Huanuni, Bella Vista–Poopó and Alantaña–Poopó). The document records early administrative difficulties that left the programme without staff for about four months, and that about 90% of submitted projects needed technical adjustments.

On outcomes for water, the same document records monitoring at 33 surface-water points and 70 spring or river points and reports no measured trend in the excerpt reviewed. Its effect indicator was that by the end of the project all water sources would show chemical and biochemical recovery levels "próximos, iguales o superiores a las normas internacionales"; the document states that "no era factible alcanzar una meta de este tipo" because recovery required long-term intervention. Its survey of perceptions found 40% reporting no change in quality of life, 27% some improvement and 18% a decline. The document names mining sector compliance with environmental law as a central gap, without which mitigation projects alone are unlikely to have lasting impact, and calls implementing the Plan Director one of the main future challenges because basin-level pollution exceeds the capacity of departmental and municipal governments alone.

Critics described the programme's use of money differently. BBC Mundo quoted Luis Aguilar, a former prefect of Oruro, saying the money was dispersed in "proyectos sin sentido", and Severo Choque, a former director of the departmental agricultural and livestock service, saying work on the lake itself was not prioritised adequately. The lake was reported dry in December 2015, the month the programme's extended period ended; the sources reviewed do not state what share of the programme's projects concerned the lake itself, and no independent evaluation of the programme's effect on the lake or on basin water quality is on record.

  1. 2010Financing agreement signed (12 April) for 60 months; BBC Mundo reports about US$15 million
  2. 2011Execution phase announced (28 June): 76 projects, 58 million bolivianos; first phase at 44% of objectives
  3. 2013Plan Director formulation by the GITEC–COBODES consortium begins (February)
  4. 2014Plan Director formulation ends (October)
  5. 2015Budget status at April 2015: EUR 11,606,900.94 of EUR 14,210,000 executed; EU extends the programme to December; Lake Poopó reported dry in December

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“un manejo sostenible de los recursos naturales de la Cuenca Poopó”

“proyectos sin sentido”

Luis Aguilar, former prefect of Oruro, on how the money was spent · 23 December 2015 · original in Spanish · El Mostrador / BBC Mundo

“no era factible alcanzar una meta de este tipo”

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Size of the programme
Communities and civil society
OCMAL (2011)

EUR 14 million in total, EUR 10 million from the EU and EUR 3 million from Bolivia.

OCMAL (Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina)
International bodies
Programme systematisation (2015)

EUR 14,210,000 planned: EUR 10,935,000 EU and EUR 3,275,000 counterpart.

Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Press and investigations
BBC Mundo (2015)

About US$15 million signed in 2010.

El Mostrador / BBC Mundo
Whether the programme's money was used effectively for the lake
Communities and civil society
Luis Aguilar, former prefect of Oruro, and Severo Choque, former director of the departmental agricultural and livestock service (2015)

The money was dispersed in "proyectos sin sentido" and work specific to the lake was not prioritised adequately.

El Mostrador / BBC Mundo
International bodies
Programme systematisation (2015)

Reported more than 180 projects or actions and 94 conservation projects; stated that the water-recovery target was not feasible in the period and that mining compliance is a central gap.

Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

Recorded

In nature's name

What was promised in nature's name, the money that moved, and what was measured.

Promised

Money moved in nature's name

WhatKindAmountPeriod
European Union contribution, planned (planned as of April 2015; OCMAL (2011) gives EUR 10 million)
European Union
Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Budget€11m2010–2015
Bolivian counterpart funds, planned (planned as of April 2015; OCMAL (2011) gives EUR 3 million)
Plurinational State of Bolivia
Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Budget€3.27m2010–2015
Programme total, planned (EU and counterpart) (OCMAL (2011) gives EUR 14 million; BBC Mundo (2015) gives about US$15 million)
European Union and Plurinational State of Bolivia
Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Budget€14m2010–2015
European Union funds executed (83% of planned, as of April 2015)
European Union
Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Spent€9.03mto April 2015
Bolivian counterpart funds executed (79% of planned, as of April 2015)
Plurinational State of Bolivia
Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Spent€2.58mto April 2015
Programme total executed (82% of planned, as of April 2015)
European Union and Plurinational State of Bolivia
Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Spent€12mto April 2015
Execution phase for the 76 municipal projects submitted (58 million bolivianos, as reported by OCMAL in 2011)
Programa Cuenca Poopó
OCMAL (Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina)
Budget58m BOB2011

Benefit to nature: what was measured

Not measured

No independent measurement of the programme's effect on Lake Poopó or on basin water quality is on record. The programme's own systematisation reports a diagnosis from monitoring at 103 points and no measured trend in the excerpt reviewed, and states that its water-recovery indicator was not feasible within the period; these are the programme's own statements, not an independent measurement. The lake was reported dry in December 2015.

Water-source recovery indicator
Not feasible within the programme period
Pilot tailings dams financed
3
Japo–Huanuni, Bella Vista–Poopó, Alantaña–Poopó; no effect measurement on record Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
Lake Poopó at the end of the programme period
Reported dry (December 2015)
NASA Earth Observatory, 23 January 2016 NASA Earth Observatory

Operation Ended · Planned for 60 months from 12 April 2010; extended by the EU to December 2015. Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó

Findings on record

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: EUR · Window: 2010–2015. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • Programa Cuenca Poopó (systematisation by GERENSSA S.R.L.) (2015): Reported more than 180 projects or actions, a Plan Director and three pilot tailings dams; stated that the water-recovery indicator was not feasible within the programme period; named mining sector compliance with environmental law as a central gap. · Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó
  • European Union (Delegation in Bolivia) (2015): In its presentation in the programme document, the head of the Delegation wrote that the results reflect work in progress with achievements and also important challenges, and that the Plan Director and a basin management body will be key for long-term results; the document also says EU execution was awaiting replenishment of funds by the Delegation at its cut-off date. · Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Water-source recovery target
Judged not feasible within the programme period
Programme systematisation, 2015; monitoring at 33 surface-water and 70 spring or river points
Pilot tailings dams financed
3
Japo–Huanuni, Bella Vista–Poopó, Alantaña–Poopó; programme systematisation
Lake Poopó, December 2015
Reported dry
NASA, ESA via EFE; the programme's extended period ended in December 2015

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

Nature

  • Disputed Whether the programme's money was used effectively for the lake

Accounts

Record

  • None on record None on record: an independent evaluation of the programme, by the EU or an auditor, in the sources reviewed.
  • None on record None on record: the share of programme money spent on the lake itself. Former officials quoted by BBC Mundo said work on the lake was not prioritised; the programme document reports projects across seven municipalities.
  • None on record None on record: the cost of the Plan Director or of the three pilot tailings dams; the document excerpt gives neither.
  • None on record None on record: measured water-quality trends at the 103 monitoring points; the excerpt reviewed reports none.
  • Disputed Disputed: the programme's size. OCMAL gives EUR 14 million (EU 10, Bolivia 3); the programme document gives EUR 14,210,000 (EU 10,935,000, counterpart 3,275,000); BBC Mundo gives about US$15 million.
  • Unclear Unclear: whether the portion of the document not reviewed contains further results or lessons (the SlideShare text was read to 200,000 of 210,522 characters).

Did the harm stop?

The sources reviewed do not report that the harm stopped: the lake was reported dry in December 2015 and again in October 2023, and the programme document says the water-recovery target was not feasible within its period.

Who paid?

The European Union (EUR 10,935,000 planned; EUR 9,031,578.88 executed by April 2015) and the Bolivian state (EUR 3,275,000 planned; EUR 2,575,322.06 executed), according to the programme systematisation.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project✓ Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

Government and regulators

  1. Sistematización de la intervención del Programa Cuenca Poopó (GERENSSA S.R.L., Convenio DCI-ALA/2009/021-614; hosted on SlideShare)
    Programa de Gestión Sostenible de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca del Lago Poopó · 2015
  2. Bolivia’s Lake Poopó Disappears
    NASA Earth Observatory · 2016-01-23

Communities and civil society

  1. Programa Cuenca Poopó iniciará fase de ejecución
    OCMAL (Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina) · 2011-07-03

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.

Science and environment

Tailings and tailings dam
Tailings are the waste left after ore is processed; a tailings dam is the embankment that stores them as wet sludge.

Law and courts

Arbitration
A private dispute process in which an appointed arbitrator, instead of a court, decides the case.