MEETING FOR WATER, A MATTER OF URGENT ESSENCE AND VITAL NECESSITY

The meeting took place in San José de Chiquitos on October 28th. “Water crisis in the Chiquitania: What is happening?”, with the objective of generating spaces for analysis and exchange of experiences on the problem of water resources in the great eco-region chaco-chiquitania-pantanal-southern Amazon.

The event drew a large crowd of representatives from communities in San José, Roboré, and other areas, as well as members of the San José Water Steering Committee and the Santiago de Chiquitos Water Cooperative. The working group conclusions outlined the following next steps:

• Inventory of critical needs in communities and populations. Declare a Water Emergency.
• Dissemination of information on regulations and pressures affecting the territory in communities. Internal regulations for water protection.
• Promotion, socialization and participatory development of the Law on Water Recharge Areas.
• Monitoring and reporting of problems and pressures that exist on the territory of the communities.

Given the urgent and vital need for water, the event included a presentation on "Water Issues in San José," given by the Steering Committee with technical support from the SAVIA Association. The presentation showcased the progress made in diagnosis and planning, as well as the actions taken by the San José Water Steering Committee from November 2020 to the present. This ongoing experience has generated interest in replicating it in other regions.

The first Water Summit has been proposed for 2022 in Roboré.

The event was organized as a synergy of the Savia Association (Association for Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainable Development), with PROBIOMA (Productivity, Biosphere and Environment) and CEDIB (Documentation and Research Center), within the framework of the GLA II Program.