Flood management and slums formation in Magdalena?s River Basin-Colombia

1. Background
3. Objectives
4. Methodology
5. Magdalena’s River
6. Slum formation in Magdalena’s River
7. Framework for master plan
8. Conclusions and recommendations
9. Referencies

Hydraulic engineering and river basin development individual study

1. BACKGROUND

1. General Features

The present individual study is intended to give some directions and estimations of the slum formation in Magdalena’s River Basin during the last past 10 years, in order to fulfill and improve target 11 for the Millennium Development Goals.

The increasing armed conflict and the precarious economic situations does not give any choice for displaced people than to settle in a dangerous place like a floodplain in Magdalena’s Downstream watershed and struggle for survival every day.

Colombia is located in the northeast part of South America. Its total area is 1.141, 748 km2 being the third largest country in South America. The population in 1993 was estimated 33.109, 840 according to the National Administrative Department of Statistics DANE. The projection of the data censes of 1993 for the 2000-year was 42.299. 301 inhabitants.

The country shares borders with Venezuela in the northeast, with Panama in the northwest, with Brazil in the southeast and with Ecuador and Peru in the southwest. The country is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the western part and by the Atlantic Ocean by the northern part.

The Andes mountains comes from Ecuador to Colombia in the south part of the country, in that place the Andes mountains divides into three chains of mountains that cross along the country from south to north, and from west to east. The Cordillera Occidental (western) and the Cordillera Oriental (eastern) are separated from the Cordillera Central by the Cauca and Magdalena River valleys. The Andes mountains divide the country into five natural units: the Andean region itself, the Pacific lowlands, the Caribbean coastal plain, the eastern Llanos or Orinoquia, and the Amazonian lowlands. Thus, almost 1/3 of the country is located in the mountain area. The other 2/3 is located one part in the lowland area that is called The Orinoquia and the rest in the Amazon forest.

Tropical characteristics may be the common denominator of the climatic conditions of Colombia. Despite local variations, there is no seasonal temperature fluctuation as in middle-latitude climates. Latitude and elevation are the most important factors determining the climate.

Colombia is made up of lowlands less than 10 degrees north from the equator, warm climates are widespread with average daily temperatures always above 24 C. Weather conditions are controlled by the Intertropical Convergence Zone; a low-pressure belt that moves back and forth across the equator bringing together the trade winds and seasonal rains. Wet and dry seasons alternate in the Andes, the Llanos, and the Caribbean plain. The Pacific region and Amazonian, which are crossed by the equator, have abundant rainfall evenly distributed throughout the year.

A vertical environmental zoning results from the decrease of temperature as altitude increases in the Andes. At the bottom lies the zone of warm lands, to about 1,000m. Next the temperate zone, reaches to 2,000m. On top of this lies a fringe of cool climate, extending up to 3,000m. Finally, a zone of treeless Paramus reaches to the permanent snow line at about 4,700 m.

Colombia is one of the richest countries in water resources in the world. The country has more than 500 rivers along its area. According to the watershed the country is divided in 5 hydrological regions that are the most important the main hydrological features are shown in See Map 1-1 and Table 1-1.

Despite of the disponibility of resources in the whole country, Colombian people have been displaced by the internal conflict between 1985 and 1999, 392.000 families that form a population of 1.900.000 persons, which 1.100.000 of them are not adults. At least 450.000 boys and girls lived the violence between 1985 and 1994 while more than 650.000 face this situation since 1995.

In 1998 the amount of displaced population 308.000, which 172.480 correspond to young people less than 18 years. By 1999 the conflict displaced 272.000 persons, and 176.800 of this population were boys and girls, young and under aged.

In the last five years the forced displacement has increased and expanded in the national territory, thousands of boys and girls are driven by the migratory current without any choice, pressed by the violence and left in a dramatic situation of survival.

The cities, which receive more displaced people, are Bogotá, Medellin, Cali,

Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Monteria, Barrancabermeja, Cucuta Sincelejo, Villavicencio, Soacha, Bello, Malambo, Tierra alta, Apartado, report high arrival of displaced population, and a high percent of them settle in the flood plains of the rivers or in the inner jungles.

The departments or states that have more expultion of population due to the conflict are Antioquia, Bolivar, Choco, Cordoba, Tolima, Santander, Cesar, Norte Santander, most of them located in Magdalena’s river basin.

This data is the reflex of the reality that will tend to increase in the Future, as a consequence and continuity of the armed conflict and its diverse expressions of degradation, the formation of slums in cities and river flood plains represent an humanitarian problem of big proportions, that requires effective mechanisms of prevention, attention and protection. See map 1-2

Colombia faces floods every year. This kind of natural event is a usual situation during the months April, May, October and November during the rainy seasons. See pictures 1-1 and 1-2