The Hidrovia, if it proceeds, will bring more change, on a whole new scale. For this project, Bolivia has also joined forces with the four Mercosur countries. And repairing and maintaining dirt roads like the Transpantaneira is a never-ending, expensive chore. One 2,000-ton barge, small by waterway standards, carries the load of 70 trucks. Then there are customs rituals, inspection procedures, tolls and taxes.
Most overland routes cross fewer borders and meet less daunting red tape along the way.
In 1989, a Brazilian engineering firm, Internave, prepared a report on the Hidrovia that called for nothing less than a geological facelift of the region. Though members of the five-nation executive committee planning the Hidrovia now say they consider the Internave report to be a mere discussion paper, it certainly whetted government appetites for the project. And it sparked environmentalists to action. At least 100 groups, including the International Rivers Network and Wetlands for the Americas, began to exchange phone calls, faxes and e-mail. Many groups conducted counter studies.