A Brazilian duck swims gracefully while the sun uncovers the golden hues of its plumage and those hidden green feathers that make it even more beautiful. Centimeters away, another of them drinks some water and what looks like a small hill of flowering vegetation, is nothing more than a pile of garbage summarized in plastic bottles, toilet paper, cans and useless food.

It is precisely this that ends the magic and reveals that these birds swim in a polluted watercourse. This is the El Monte stream, which crosses important neighborhoods of the city of Tarija and which, together with the San Pedro, Torrecillas and Cabeza de Toro streams, flows along the right bank of the Guadalquivir River.

In the early morning or late at night, dozens of people throw their garbage into these waters without considering the consequences. However, already in 2015 an audit by the General State Comptroller's Office revealed that when the Guadalquivir passes through the municipality of Tarija and receives discharges from the Sosa, Sagredo, el Monte and San Pedro streams, in addition to the Víbora Negra, its waters enter the rank of dismal quality.

This condition is maintained after confluence with the Tolomosa river (of medium quality) and although the quality range does not change, the value worsens when receiving discharges from the Torrecillas stream and the Cabeza de Toro stream, which carries industrial discharges from the municipal slaughterhouse and tanneries.

Another study on the environment and pollution in the city of Tarija, conducted by the Statistical Research Center of the Universidad Privada Domingo Savio (UPDS), which applied a thousand surveys, reports that the streams are the most polluted places in Tarija.

The hidden beauty of El Monte creek

But aside from the quality of the water in the El Monte creek, throughout the year there is a biodiversity that, before the blind eyes of everyone, makes the garbage dump its home every day. Swamp crows, stilts, Andean gulls, tero tero, pica buey, Brazilian duck, chumuco duck and herons make their way through the garbage, swim, drink the water, dive and enjoy the first rays of the sun.

Very close to them and at the edge of the ravine, in the trees, looking for food are the infallible horneros, the chulupias, the chiguancos, the celestinos, the naranjeros, the vinchuqueros, the tarajchis, the picaflores, but also the ulinchas, the tortolitas, the renegade thrushes that never learned to make nests, the bientefues, the torcazitas and the golondrinas.

Every day these birds "enjoy" the polluted waters. To what extent will we continue to infect these areas?

Pollution and health damage

But it is not only biodiversity that is affected; the risks to human health are the most worrisome aspect of the contamination of the streams, according to Richard Iván Medina, a professional in chemical engineering with a doctorate in Environmental Sciences and the Environment.

"This season, as there is no water flow, garbage of all kinds accumulates, the streams are dumps of the people around, when the stream arrives it is cleaned with the first rains, but then the garbage returns," he said.

He adds that environmental education campaigns are more important than cleanup campaigns, since citizens must understand and learn that spaces, such as streams, should not be used as places to dispose of waste.

"On the other hand, as for the water, I dare say that all the streams and the Guadalquivir River are contaminated with domestic wastewater, because they are from clandestine connections that contaminate the water all year round, only now it is more noticeable because there is no flow," he said.

The 4Rs are: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover.

Plastic waste, tires, debris and even dead animals can be found in all of Cercado's streams. This is the situation in El Monte, Verdún and Gallinazo creeks.

According to experts on the subject, it will be important for the population to reflect on the importance of not throwing garbage into streams, but it is also key to think about the four "r's" of recycling. In this way it is fundamental:

Reduce: Create less waste than we generate.

Reuse: When something is no longer useful we can give it a new use. If it is in good condition it can be useful for someone else or we can find a new use for it before throwing it away.

Recycle: It is important to convert waste into a new and different product. For this, it is essential to separate waste at home and place it in the appropriate containers.

Recover: But if a waste cannot be avoided, reused or recycled, it is important to recover.

Moreover, after following all these tips to the letter, it is essential to put the waste out for collection by the garbage cart.

Text: Danitza Pamela Montaño

Photos: Mateo Tapia

*This publication has been produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the "Partnerships for Water and Sanitation Management" project and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.