Cobblestone Roads in Paraguay Link
Inexpensive Technology with Long Term Benefits
Rush hour on Main Street in Las Piedras is a far cry from
the US’s Route 66, but for the Ita Municipality in Paraguay,
the new street is making a difference in getting produce to
market or a sick child to a hospital.
The Las Piedras community (Ita Municipality), like many towns
in Latin America, was traditionally isolated from the many
towns in the area because of the poor condition of the dirt
road which passed through it.
During heavy rains, travel to health clinics, schools and
jobs was also difficult -- if not impossible. Las Piedras’
economy is based on agriculture and small industry, and access
to markets is vital. Even under ideal conditions, the dust
and dirt from the road raised a health concern for many families.
As a former city worker and council member, Ita Mayor Rafael
Velazquez was aware of the problem and the community’s
desire to address it. As mayor he decided to take part in
an USAID-supported municipal finance project which promotes
transparency and citizen participation in the government.
This project aimed to streamline the budget and programming
process: first providing assistance to improve tax collection
services and second to tie its budget process to an open,
participatory process, reflective of constituents needs.
As part of the exercise, Mayor Velázquez supported
enactment of freedom of information legislation and opened
up the municipality’s budget and program process. With
new auditing procedures in place, the city increased its tax
collection by 95 percent and held regular neighborhood workshops
to discuss municipal matters with constituents and to ascertain
concrete ideas relating to local community needs.
During the workshops, the community and the municipality
identified a cobblestone road as its top priority. The community
chose to construct the road with “cobblestones”
primarily because it was less expensive than a paved road.
It also sought additional savings by training and hiring local
laborers, using high quality stone from the area’s quarries
and streams. Financial support for the road came from municipal
coffers (including money from property tax collection), and
a voluntary fee collected from the road’s users.
The 3.7-mile road now links the community with neighboring
towns.
“Prior to the cobblestone road, we just couldn’t
send our products to market,” said.
Atilio Lopez, neighborhood committee leader. “Our local
produce -- strawberries, bricks and eggs -- can now reach
the markets in all seasons. All our products can be sent to
market quicker and cheaper, and outside products can come
into the community easier and are less expensive as well.”
“This is a perfect example of appropriate technology
carried out cheaply, working with a local municipality using
democratic practices,” he said.
Paraguay is not alone in its recent choice for construction
of cobblestone roads. In Bolivia, where cobblestone road construction
has been used for more than 1,000 years since the pre-Inca
era, the dirt roads that lead to the Chapare, a remote region
where coca was a chief crop, are also being replaced with
all-weather cobblestone roads. Cobblestone roads have also
been constructed under USAID programs in El Salvador.
“These cobblestone roads provide a relatively low cost,
reduced maintenance alternative to current dirt roads in an
exercise that promotes economic development and grassroots
democracy, “ said USAID Assistant Administrator Adolfo
Franco, who recently visited a project first hand in Las Piedras.
“USAID brings together ideas from the past and the future,
and in the process, opens up economic markets, creates improved
access to social services, and in the end provides a deeper
sense of citizen security.”
Back to Top ^
|
