Irrigation study tenders launched amid protest

Cochabamba's prefecture in central Bolivia has launched tenders for a six-month, US$258,000 pre-feasibility study for the Kewina Qhocha irrigation project, local newspaper Los Tiempos reported. Planners expect the study will allow them to identify project funding for its eventual construction, the paper said, adding two analyses were conducted in the 1970's and 1990's. Some residents, including local lawmakers and representatives of the socialist movement, oppose the move, doubting its viability, saying it will be redundant in light of the previous studies, and arguing six months is not enough time to analyze the situation.