Health officials in Bolivia's fourth-biggest city raise disease concerns as tons of rubbish accumulate on the streets due to a 12-day-old protest by residents blocking access to its main landfill. Officials have 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. 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," says Alcira Estrada, a 38-year-old merchant who lives near the landfill, some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the city center. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES