The long funeral of the river. Garbage disposal in the City of La Paz (Bolivia) in historical perspective

Abstract

This article presents a history of garbage deposition in the city of La Paz, in Bolivia, systematizing the existing information from colonial times to present. The text reflects the differences in the scale of the city and the amount of treated garbage, in the places and techniques of disposal, and even in the concepts of garbage, hygiene and sanitation, and the role of the government in its management. To do this, he describes, broadly speaking, three moments: (1) from the establishment of La Paz in 1548 to the beginning of the 20th century, characterized by the uncontrolled formation of “muladares” or garbage dumps; (2) from the 10s to the 90s, when the city government provided a service for the disposal of garbage in municipal dumps; and (3) the recent implementation of landfills and recycling. However, the text also points to a constant relationship of these wastes with the La Paz river basins and a severe, and still present, problem of contamination due to soil instability and the pressure of urban population growth. The text ends by reflecting on the complexities of soil and garbage management in a city built, basically, on top of rivers, and points out the nature of the river itself as an agent, often taking revenge for the constant aggression of which it is subject by the urban population.