A Method to Construct the New Framework for the Equitable Water Distribution -the Case Study of the “Water War” in Bolivia-

Why does the water resource problem in Bolivia remain despite the victory of “Water War”?

“Water War” in 2000 was an anti-privatization movement towards the public water service and it changed the water law and forced a private company to withdraw.

The goal of the social activists who had played a main role in “Water War” was to improve water resource accessibility. However, the success of “Water War” did not solve the water resource problem in Bolivia.  Does it mean that the other issue was needed to improve the water resource situation?

Existing literature has mainly focused on the strategy of water war, and the water situation not mentioned. In order to investigate a ‘real’ driving factor that had caused the problem, analysis of the Water War should be revisited from different angle. A water shortage is classified into two factors: “Real scarcity” and “Manufactured scarcity” (Mehta 2003). While real scarcity refers to a shortage of volumetric quantities, incurred mainly from population growth, industrialization and an ecological system, manufactured scarcity is constructed by powerful actors such as politicians, bureaucrats and irrigation farmers to gain profit at the exclusive possession of water resource.

I assume that the goal emphasized in “Water War” was directed towards manufactured scarcity, it prevented　its focus from real scarcity, which is also pivotal in order to solve the water resource problem. This study uses the original data of fieldwork and local newspapers from three times of fieldwork by the author. I will use discourse analyses to expose the process of why social activists chose to focus on “Manufactured scarcity” in order to gain the civilian support. I present the importance of recognizing the each characteristic of water scarcity to improve the water resource problem. This research intends to provide a new framework for equitable water distribution.