Sawt Falasteen - Health concerns swirl as Bolivian city drowns in rubbish

Officials warned of a severe public health issue in Cochabamba, a city of 600,000 whose residents have closed off the landfill to demand its permanent closure.

The city's health department said cases of diarrhea soared by seven percent in the last week, and those of Hepatitis A -- a viral disease spread through contaminated food or water -- rose by 55 percent.

"This could be the beginning" of a health crisis, the department's epidemiology head Ruben Castillo told AFP.

Residents living near the K'ara K'ara landfill are demanding it be shuttered permanently, claiming contamination due to improper waste management.

"We are demanding our right to health; the municipality does not listen to us," Alcira Estrada, a 38-year-old merchant who lives near the landfill, some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the city center, told AFP.

The protest has now seen the problem spread wider, with about 7,000 tons of waste accumulated on Cochabamba's streets, according to municipal estimates.

The municipality had agreed last September to close the landfill within six months, but the deadline has now passed.

Cochabamba produces between 600 and 800 tons of garbage daily, according to municipal spokesperson Juan Jose Ayaviri.

C.Hamad--SF-PST