(unfortunately it cannot be embedded). Located at a high elevation, characterised by steep slopes and with very active geological and geomorphological processes, the terrain in La Paz is highly susceptible to landslides. The video articulates the ways in which socio-economic circumstances, and in particular well-meaning government policies, drive up landslide risk. To address a housing deficit, the government seeks to provide land ownership to people occupying land illegally. Thus, people are incentivised to remain living in dangerous locations.
The . There's also a really good, easily understood, article from a couple of decades ago () that discussed the underlying reasons for the high levels of landslide risk in La Paz.
There are two good examples of the impact of landslides in La Paz. , . Google Earth has good imagery before and after the failure:-
And this is an image compare of the site:
Then, in November of 2024, . Sadly, a 5-year-old girl was killed. .
Twenty years ago, concluded their article as follows:
"In view of the attempts to reduce hazard risk in the south of the city, there is a real need to seek new approaches to hazard mitigation and to policies of sustainable development for the poor and marginalized groups living in the northern city. Strategies will need to embrace the examination of possible future changes in the frequency, duration and intensity of the landslide event …"
"Also under scrutiny are the technical resources available to raise the region's or community's ability to cope with the effects of the landslide hazard. This may take the form of greater locally based support, such as sharing strategies adopted by the community in the face of the disaster . There may also need to be greater municipal and national assistance to help victims set up new livelihoods when they are displaced to new areas in the aftermath of the landslide. Finally, there needs to be real and long-term structural solutions offered by governments from the richer nations with regard to hazard management and preparedness, with the installation of physical structures such as drains, culverts, terracing and slope support. Unless the La Paz municipal authorities can raise the adaptive capacities, or coping abilities, of those living in the most unstable areas of the city, landslides will continue to damage lives and livelihoods, and thus the long-term development prospects of the poorest communities and groups"
These words still apply today. Unfortunately, it is likely that I will be writing about landslide crises in La Paz on this blog for many years to come.