Taming the Pilcamayo

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 28 December 2017

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A journey up the 'suicidal' Pilcomayo river that separates Paraguay from Argentina... The Pilcomayo is the life-force of one of Latin America's most arid regions. But it is also one of the most heavily silted rivers of the world. As it courses down from the Bolivian Highlands in the months of December and January, half is water, half sand. This means it often causes flooding. Or, it changes course, failing to deliver water to those who depend on it. So in order to benefit communities, this is a river system that needs careful management, and a lot of human input to ensure the water flows. Compounding the fickleness of the Pilcomayo are 3 years of drought in the region. Gabriela Torres travels north from Asuncion up the course of the Pilcomayo during the dry season, visiting communities where the wildlife is dying and the economy under threat. How will the people - and animals - cope this year?

(Photo: Feliciano Loveda standing in the dry channel of the Pilcomayo river next to his home – he hasn’t used his boat for five years. Credit: Gabriela Torres)

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a podcast that is going to take you to one of the driest most remote regions of South America.
0:06.0	And I'm from Venezuela and this is a place that I never thought I would visit.
0:12.0	Not that many people talk about El Taco, which is in this region
0:18.1	between Parawai and Argentina. It's so far away. There're non-paved roads. It's very hostile and inhospitable to be there.
0:30.0	But at the same time, it's a place where the few people that live there and they live about 60 or 80 kilometers apart
0:39.1	they are so nice and welcoming and friendly.
0:44.0	They always provided us with food and accommodation
0:48.0	and they're living in such extreme conditions.
0:53.5	Imagine living with no water and scorching head and hoping year after year that the following year is going to be better.
1:05.0	Hopefully, if you like what you hear on this edition of assignment,
1:09.0	you write as a review on your podcast provider
1:11.0	and tell your friends about us. Welcome to your
1:15.0	podcast provider and tell your friends about us. Welcome to Parawai.
1:17.0	650 kilometers northwest of the Parawayan capital of Asuncheon, in one of South America's most remote
1:28.4	and arid regions.
1:29.8	Nirma Servein is making a check of the baby goats on her ranch.
1:34.3	Unfortunately, we only have five left of the 50 we had. They were all eaten by the Cayman or the Pumas.
1:45.4	Wild animals roam around the farm because this is the only place there is water now.
1:51.2	So they come and take the sheep and goats too.
1:55.0	So the wild animals also eat the mothers of the kids.
2:00.0	They those as well if the pumas come come with their caps and they are teaching them how to hunt,
2:06.0	they can kill five, six or seven sheep in a day.
	...

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