A town council in Villamontes, Tarija, decided yesterday to give departmental and national authorities five days to resolve the problems affecting the Pilcomayo River, located on the border with Argentina and Paraguay. ““The Weenhayek people and the town of Villamontes will begin indefinite border blockades if Decree 0900, issued a year ago, is not enforced. That decree mandates actions against pollution and the diversion of the Pilcomayo River, which has left it devoid of fish. The local population relies solely on fishing for its livelihood,” said Wendy Casanova, legal advisor to the Weenhayek people.The Pilcomayo River in the Villamontes area of Tarija is the only place where shad spawn; however, for some time now, they have not been able to do so due to high levels of pollution. Border. She also noted that in Argentina, a project called “La Estrella” is designed to retain the fish and water to prevent them from reaching the Bolivian side. Paraguay has taken similar action, finding ways to divert the water and fish toward its territory. Faced with this situation, the Bolivian population living near the Pilcomayo River declared a state of emergency and, in the absence of a solution, held a town hall meeting that set a deadline for receiving the aid they need. Otherwise, they will begin blocking roads along the southern borders starting Monday.