On March 19, 2020, a Spanish language article in Pagina Siete reported on a statement that was issued by “representatives from 17 communities settled around three rivers in the north of La Paz and Beni… The representatives maintain that the government is not working to cancel the hydroelectric projects that endanger their lives, biodiversity and the environment.“ The statement demands “that President Jeanine Añez cancel the regulations that make the El Bala and Chepete hydroelectric projects feasible, since these establish at risk the ecosystem and environment of this region.
“We have held a meeting with all those who are part of the Commonwealth of Indigenous Communities of the Beni, Tuichi and Quiquibey Rivers in order to continue defending our rivers, but mainly to demand that the decrees that are in force be annulled and put communities at risk. These rules are still in force and the government is not talking about leaving them without effect, ”said the San José de Uchupiamonas leader, Ruth Alipaz, during the meeting held on Saturday in Rurrenabaque.”