Water Rights and Water Allocation in Andean Basins J. Molina1, E. Villarroel2, J. Alurralde2, A. Apaza1, F.

Soria1 1 Hydraulics and Hydrology Institute, Mayor de San Andres University, Bolivia; 2 Sustainable Water, Bolivia jmolina_ihh@acelerate.com Summary The Committee for the Integrated Water Management in Bolivia (CGIAB), with support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, launched in 2003 a research project in order to assess the impact of several water allocation models on Andean basins. CGIAB is an association of academic, public and non governmental organizations that gives support to the Bolivian Government on the construction of the national water policy. The ultimate project goal was to identify water rights and water allocations schemes used by Andean communities that could be incorporated in the future Bolivian water law. A multidisciplinary and scenario approach was used, applying tools of both social and engineering sciences. MIKE BASIN was used first to obtain a diagnostics of current water management practices in two Andean basins. Then water allocation rules included in the last draft of water law were over imposed on that scenario and their consequences were evaluated. The results showed that increased inefficiency and inequity could be expected for the second scenario. The model also helped to identify current management problems and to test possible solutions. A limitation of the 2002 version of MIKE BASIN to simulate water sharing rules applied in the Andes was someway bypassed using tools included in the model.