“May they have mercy on us. We have already suffered enough from lack of water,” said Víctor Pérez, community member of Candelaria, this Saturday.
On the verge of tears, women from the community told of their suffering and the sacrifice they make every day for a little water.
“We get up at three in the morning to line up and fill our bucket or gallon for the day; Many of us leave our children alone, and when we return we find them crying,” said Inés.
“We ask the authorities to put their hand on their chest, or to spend a few hours with us to experience what we experienced,” said Juana.
Bartolomé Suárez, president of the OTB, said that the water shortage has been occurring for quite some time, but now the pump no longer supplies even human consumption.
Until five or six in the morning there is no water. People who do not get up early are obliged to provide themselves with the atajado, which is for the animals and for washing clothes, explained Genaro Ramos, chief of the community.
Candelaria, located 20 kilometers south of Concepción, has 700 inhabitants and they all get their water from the only pump in the area. The ferris wheel is drying out, as is the shortcut.
The community will march on Monday to Concepción and then to the city of Santa Cruz to make their claim heard, if there is no response to their request until midnight this Saturday.
In 2023, taking advantage of the visit of David Choquehuanca, current president of the State, to Candelaria, three projects were presented to him, one of them referring to the water system.
Bartolomé Suárez said that to date there has been no response nor from the municipal authorities regarding a previous project, promoted during the administration of former mayor David Mollinedo.
THEY WANT TO AVOID FURTHER SUFFERING
The president of the Municipal Council, Jesús Mencarí, said that the situation in Candelaria touches everyone’s sensitivity and that, as municipal authorities, they will take steps to create a water system for the community.
“We want to avoid more suffering for people. A march will involve many risks for the community,” he reflected.
From the Central Indigenous Communities of Concepción (CICC), vice president Mateo Choma said that the organization fully supports the community in its demand.
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