Abastecimiento de agua rural en Chiquitania

The report examines how agricultural expansion and urban development in the Chiquitano dry forest region of Bolivia are altering water resources. It highlights the proliferation of 'atajados' (artificial ponds) and groundwater wells, noting that these decentralized systems are often unregulated and not captured in current hydrological models. The authors argue that these changes reduce deep infiltration and base flow, potentially threatening downstream ecosystems and water users, drawing a parallel to similar unregulated water diversions in Northern California.

• The Chiquitano dry forest is threatened by mega-fires and deforestation, primarily driven by rapid land-use changes for agricultural and urban purposes, which place pressure on surface and groundwater resources.
• Hydrological modeling of basins covering the Chiquitano dry forest from 1980 to 2015 shows an average annual flow of 1,677 m³/s, with a peak of 5,220 m³/s in February and a low of 198 m³/s in September.
• Agricultural expansion is significantly increasing deforestation; in the San Ignacio de Velasco district, annual deforestation rates rose from 30 km² in 2005 to 210 km² in 2018.
• Research identified 31.6 million m³ of water in unlined artificial storage ponds, mostly used for livestock, which represents 18.7% of the total natural flow of the surveyed basins during the driest month and is currently missing from regional hydrological models.
• Groundwater extraction is increasing, with 361 wells identified in sampled communities; over half were drilled since 2000, and more than a third of the 146 electric pump wells (with an estimated capacity of 257,437 m³/month) were drilled in the last 10 years.
• The construction of artificial ponds (atajados) and agricultural clearing reduce deep infiltration and base flow while increasing surface runoff, which can lead to excessively low base flows during the dry season and negatively impact downstream users and ecosystems.
• Local and departmental authorities currently do not regulate groundwater use, and there is a need for legislation informed by the impacts of surface water diversions and increased groundwater extraction.

APA

Mautner, M., & Escobar, M. (2022). Abastecimiento de agua rural en Chiquitania. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220122a-burton-mautner-atajados-fact-sheet-2114b-espanol-1.pdf

Chicago

Mautner, Marina, and Marisa Escobar. Abastecimiento de agua rural en Chiquitania. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220122a-burton-mautner-atajados-fact-sheet-2114b-espanol-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mautner |first1=Marina |last2=Escobar |first2=Marisa |title=Abastecimiento de agua rural en Chiquitania |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=May 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220122a-burton-mautner-atajados-fact-sheet-2114b-espanol-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mautner2022abastecimiento, author = {Mautner, Marina and Escobar, Marisa}, title = {{Abastecimiento de agua rural en Chiquitania}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/220122a-burton-mautner-atajados-fact-sheet-2114b-espanol-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }