Integrated urban water management in Medellín, Colombia
Encyclopedia
Integrated urban water management
(IUWM) in Medellín
, Colombia
is considered to be an overall success and a good example of how a large metropolitan area with moderate income disparity can adequately operate and maintain quality water supply to its many citizens. This is quite remarkable given the large urbanized population in the Metropolitan Area of Medellín (MAM) of 3.3 million, many of whom live on the slopes of the Aburrá-Medellín Valley where Medellín is situated and highly prone to landslides and stormwater
erosion. Sound urban water management within the MAM is carried out by a set of technically strong institutions with financial independence—and lack of political interference such as Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM).
The MAM is located near the equator but with a high elevation, the average climate is quite mild without great variation in temperature and rainfall. Consistent and adequate precipitation usually ensures that nearby water basins feeding the Aburrá Medellín River
basin and subsequently the MAM can store approximately 178 BCM of water for the MAM. Adequate supply and good resource management has allowed nearly 100% of MAM citizens across ten municipalities to receive piped water.
Substantial challenges remain however for Colombia's second largest urban and economical center in dealing with an increasing urbanization
rate and the settling of inhabitants higher up the hillsides within the narrow valley. Drainage
of stormwater
is probably the most significant concern for the MAM government and managing institutions. A stormwater management plan has been instituted to help address the adverse effects of urbanization, lack of infrastructures in poorer neighborhoods able to handle stormwater, river conservation and risk assessment.
The river sanitation program included a set of projects, the first of which was estimated to cost US$232 million. An Inter-American Development Bank
(IDB) loan provided US$130 million, while local funds provided the remaining US$102 million. The overall goal for the first stage, which began in 1993 and concluded in 2000, was to clean up the Medellín River and its tributaries. The program included six more objectives as well: i) partial decontamination of the river and its tributaries; ii) partial treatment of 23% of the wastewater to be collected from the first of four treatment plants included within the master plan for the sewer system; iii) extension of the potable water networks and sewer system to all areas lacking these services to reach 100 percent coverage; iv) optimization of the water distribution system, management of consumption and reduction of unaccounted-for water losses from 38 percent in 1993 to 30 percent in 1999; v) preparation of phase two of the sanitation program; and vi) institutional strengthening of EPM’s management system for aqueducts and the sewer system.
By most of the initial criteria, the program was successful and drove Medellín to be recognized as strong example of urban water management. The physical results (i.e. new treatment plant, aqueducts, wastewater collectors, new conveyance pipes) were all very successful; the performance of EPM has been highly satisfactory. The only criteria that have not been as successful however, are the efficiency components. Investment costs and reductions in unaccounted for water have yielded mixed results. Apart from fewer than expected negative results from the program, Medellín has become a successful example of good practice in urban water management.
(MAM) and the city of Medellín itself. As of 2005, the MAM was contributing 67% of the total GDP to the State of Antioquia, while Medellín alone contributed 55% to the state GDP of 14.7 billion. Colombia has a near median value of 57 Gini coefficient
indicating moderate income disparity. (source: WRI Earthtrends, 2003) The 2005 Report of the Economic Colombian Review of Proexport and the International Cooperation Agency of Medellín concluded that the Aburrá-Medellín Valley, where Medellin is located, is the top economy in the state with a GDP of USD 7.8 billion in 2005. Medellín contributes 8% to the national GDP of Colombia. The primary products and drivers of the Medellín economy are steel, textiles, food and beverage, agriculture, public services, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, flowers, and refined oil.
The social landscape provides interesting examples of how a city once considered the murder capital of the world (381 homicides per 100,000 people in 1991 down to 26 per 100,000 in 2006) has been able to rejuvenate the city into a much safer city for residents and burgeoning tourist destination. The city renewal plans were created and implemented by a former city mayor and a former director of urban projects with a philosophy of using design and architecture to address some of the city's problems.
Aburrá-Medellin is the basin occupied by the Metropolitan area of Medellin (MAM). There are 10 cities in the Metropolitan Area covering 1,250 km2 while the metropolitan area itself covers 1,156 km2. The Medellín River is 104 km long at elevations from 1300 to 2800 m (4265 ft.-9186 ft.). Water resources that supply the Medellín River and subsequently the city of Medellín come from three particular sources: i) The Rio Grande basin and reservoir; ii) the Pantanillo (Reservoir La Fé) and; iii) La Mosca Creek from the reservoir Piedras Blancas. All together, these three sources amount to roughly 178 BCM in storage capacity. Mean annual flow in the basin varies from 30 to 40 L/(s.km2) or 1150 to 1300 mm of mean flow.
Sanitation coverage is nearly 100%. A portion representing 47% of the sanitation network is CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow). There are collectors in the tributaries and an interceptor along the Medellín River representing 9% of the network.
Various institutions share management of stormwater and drainage. EPM focuses mostly on stormwater, whereas the Municipal Secretary focuses on the creeks and rivers in the sub-basins. At times, the EPM will assist the Municipal Secretary with various service provisions relating to drainage. The Medellín River is jurisdiction of “Areas Metropolitana” since it is the main river in Aburrá-Medellín Valley. A stormwater plan in concert with flood plain management developed by all the relevant institutions would help to address the overall basin with an integrated solution.
had turned the Medellín River into a dump site for millions of tons of municipal household waste. At the same time, the lack of open land led people to settle on the banks of the river and along its 200 tributaries. Untreated household wastewater accumulated in these streams and they became an open sewer, threatening residents’ health, the aesthetic conditions of the city, and the quality of life in the Aburrá-Medellín valley.
Urbanization keeps taking place throughout the hills of the sub-basins supplying water to the Medellin River. There is also urbanization developing in both downstream and upstream directions along the Medellin River. The population is forecast to be near 4.8 million by 2020.
of the reservoirs. To prevent these impacts, a program of water and soil conservation has been recommended by multilateral development agencies. The program uses economic mechanisms such as paying land owners upstream for sustainable land and water conservation practices. Overall wastewater discharges reached a dangerous levels by the early 1990s and was compounded by the contaminated discharges from the city’s industrial area. Heavy polluting industries include textile tanning facilities and steel manufacturing.
in Medellín has become a good practice example. Much of the success in managing water resources is due in great part to strong institutions, some of which are described below. While institutions have been very efficient, services are fragmented. For example, EPM only address a portion of stormwater management in the MAM; other institutions handle the rest. In Medellín, Empresas Varias de Medellin manages solid waste; however, other institutions in the remaining metro area carry out this responsibility and without satisfactory collaboration. A new institutional framework can address some of these shortcomings by incorporating all levels of service and investment and by integrating urban water management services into one institution. Alternately, best practices can be developed and shared among institutions in order to integrate all of the services.
EPM (Empresas Publicas de Medellin) is an integrated state owned utilities company that is property of the Municipality of Medellín. EPM develops the services of water, sanitation, and a portion of stormwater, distributes potable water, and transports and treats wastewater. EPM is a public-sector entity that works like a private company. EPM’s performance is measured by efficiency indicators that are comparable to other successful international water operators. EMP’s development and management policies are based on sustainability and efficiency.
ESP (Empresas Varias de Medellin) is a municipal company which develops the solid waste services. ESP has two fundamental pillars: 1) The strengthening of the local recycling networks; and 2) informal education that addresses how/whom is generating waste.
AMVA (Areas Metropolitana) develops and licenses environment and water resource management of Metropolitan Area of Medellin.
(excerpt below drawn from: Irrigation in Colombia
)
The Colombian Constitution of 1991
states that the National government shall be responsible for the sustainable use of natural resources, including water resources. Land Development Law No. 41 in 1993 included decrees Nos. 1278 and 2135 with the aim of growing private investment in the irrigation sector while reducing public intervention. The Law incorporates users’ participation in design, building, and posterior operation and maintenance (O&M) by establishing a water fee which includes a fraction of the total costs.
(IDB) has been working with Medellín on the Medellín River Sanitation Program on and off since the program was approved in the 1980s. In the most recent phase, the IDB approved a 25-year loan to Colombia in February 2009 for US$ 450 million for a cleanup project of the Medellín River. This is the largest loan the IDB has ever issued for a river cleanup and will be used to build a treatment plant in the northern end of the Aburrá-Medellín valley. The new plant will open for operation in 2012 and will increase Medellín’s wastewater treatment capacity to 95%. In a prior phase, an IDB loan of US$130 million was used to build the San Fernando wastewater treatment plant in the southern end of the Aburrá-Medellín valley.
Integrated urban water management
Integrated urban water management is a philosophy of varying definitions and interpretations. According to the authors of the book entitled, "Integrated Urban Water Management: Humid Tropics", IUWM is described as the practice of managing freshwater, wastewater, and storm water as components of a...
(IUWM) in Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
is considered to be an overall success and a good example of how a large metropolitan area with moderate income disparity can adequately operate and maintain quality water supply to its many citizens. This is quite remarkable given the large urbanized population in the Metropolitan Area of Medellín (MAM) of 3.3 million, many of whom live on the slopes of the Aburrá-Medellín Valley where Medellín is situated and highly prone to landslides and stormwater
Stormwater
Stormwater is water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the stormwater system...
erosion. Sound urban water management within the MAM is carried out by a set of technically strong institutions with financial independence—and lack of political interference such as Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM).
The MAM is located near the equator but with a high elevation, the average climate is quite mild without great variation in temperature and rainfall. Consistent and adequate precipitation usually ensures that nearby water basins feeding the Aburrá Medellín River
Medellín river
The Medellín River , called Porce River during most of its course, is a river that flows though the Colombian city of Medellín and its metropolitan area...
basin and subsequently the MAM can store approximately 178 BCM of water for the MAM. Adequate supply and good resource management has allowed nearly 100% of MAM citizens across ten municipalities to receive piped water.
Substantial challenges remain however for Colombia's second largest urban and economical center in dealing with an increasing urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
rate and the settling of inhabitants higher up the hillsides within the narrow valley. Drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
of stormwater
Stormwater
Stormwater is water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the stormwater system...
is probably the most significant concern for the MAM government and managing institutions. A stormwater management plan has been instituted to help address the adverse effects of urbanization, lack of infrastructures in poorer neighborhoods able to handle stormwater, river conservation and risk assessment.
Key Historical turning point for IUWM in Medellín
For many years leading up to the early 1990s, Medellín had been growing rapidly as large quantities of people moved into the MAM in hopes of taking advantage economic of opportunities. With so little open space, those who urbanized did so very near or alongside the Medellín River. This led to an increase in municipal runoff. These domestic effluents compounded with growing industrial effluents, and upstream agriculture activity effectively increased toxic runoff into the Medellín River to the level that required immediate and drastic measures to recuperate the river. At the same time, Medellín was lacking in urban water management e.g. wastewater and stormwater, treatment, water quality, drainage, and institutional capacity had all been neglected to some degree. In order to confront the deteriorating sanitary and environmental conditions, as well as their adverse effects on resident's health and well-being, the Medellín River Sanitation Program was approved in the 1980s.The river sanitation program included a set of projects, the first of which was estimated to cost US$232 million. An Inter-American Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
(IDB) loan provided US$130 million, while local funds provided the remaining US$102 million. The overall goal for the first stage, which began in 1993 and concluded in 2000, was to clean up the Medellín River and its tributaries. The program included six more objectives as well: i) partial decontamination of the river and its tributaries; ii) partial treatment of 23% of the wastewater to be collected from the first of four treatment plants included within the master plan for the sewer system; iii) extension of the potable water networks and sewer system to all areas lacking these services to reach 100 percent coverage; iv) optimization of the water distribution system, management of consumption and reduction of unaccounted-for water losses from 38 percent in 1993 to 30 percent in 1999; v) preparation of phase two of the sanitation program; and vi) institutional strengthening of EPM’s management system for aqueducts and the sewer system.
By most of the initial criteria, the program was successful and drove Medellín to be recognized as strong example of urban water management. The physical results (i.e. new treatment plant, aqueducts, wastewater collectors, new conveyance pipes) were all very successful; the performance of EPM has been highly satisfactory. The only criteria that have not been as successful however, are the efficiency components. Investment costs and reductions in unaccounted for water have yielded mixed results. Apart from fewer than expected negative results from the program, Medellín has become a successful example of good practice in urban water management.
Economic and Social
Medellín is located in the State of Antioquia and consists of two areas: the Metropolitan Area of MedellínMetropolitan Area of Medellín
The Metropolitan Area of Medellín or the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley is a metropolitan area and subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia...
(MAM) and the city of Medellín itself. As of 2005, the MAM was contributing 67% of the total GDP to the State of Antioquia, while Medellín alone contributed 55% to the state GDP of 14.7 billion. Colombia has a near median value of 57 Gini coefficient
Gini coefficient
The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion developed by the Italian statistician and sociologist Corrado Gini and published in his 1912 paper "Variability and Mutability" ....
indicating moderate income disparity. (source: WRI Earthtrends, 2003) The 2005 Report of the Economic Colombian Review of Proexport and the International Cooperation Agency of Medellín concluded that the Aburrá-Medellín Valley, where Medellin is located, is the top economy in the state with a GDP of USD 7.8 billion in 2005. Medellín contributes 8% to the national GDP of Colombia. The primary products and drivers of the Medellín economy are steel, textiles, food and beverage, agriculture, public services, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, flowers, and refined oil.
The social landscape provides interesting examples of how a city once considered the murder capital of the world (381 homicides per 100,000 people in 1991 down to 26 per 100,000 in 2006) has been able to rejuvenate the city into a much safer city for residents and burgeoning tourist destination. The city renewal plans were created and implemented by a former city mayor and a former director of urban projects with a philosophy of using design and architecture to address some of the city's problems.
Geography and climate
Medellín is located in the Northwest region of Colombia near the equator with an elevation of 1,500m (5,000 ft) and normally remains cooler than other cities with similar latitude due to its elevation. Because of Medellín’s proximity to the equator, its temperature is constant year round, with minimal temperature variations. Average annual rainfall in the Aburrá-Medellín valley is from 1400 mm (55 in.) to 2800 mm (110 in.) and has a tropical climate with average temperatures from 20o C to 24 o C (68-75 o F). Because of the springlike climate all year, Medellín is known as 'La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera' or 'City of the Eternal Spring'.Water supply
Water treatment and sanitation
EPM manages ten treatment plants in Medellín and the metropolitan area. The Medellín River and Flowing Streams Sanitation Program, led by EPM, aims at the decontamination of the Medellín River and a reduction of the rivers biochemical oxygen demand. In support of this goal, EPM constructed the San Fernando water residue treatment plant that treats an average of 1.8 m3/s. Coming online in 2012, a second water residue treatment plant will treat 5 m3/s. A “North Interceptor” tunnel will be built six feet under the Medellín River with a length of 8 km and will transport water to the future treatment plant in the municipality of Bello.Sanitation coverage is nearly 100%. A portion representing 47% of the sanitation network is CSO (Combined Sewer Overflow). There are collectors in the tributaries and an interceptor along the Medellín River representing 9% of the network.
Stormwater and drainage
Urban drainage in Medellín is a substantial challenge. Drainage of stormwater is a combination of creeks and culverts flowing from urbanized areas to the Medellín River. Flow velocity can be significant since the slopes surrounding Medellín are steep and long. Many eroded sediments are washed down and pose a hazard in the form of dangerous mud flows. These strormwater drainage concerns can be addressed by improving the drainage infrastructure and better protection of the hillsides.Various institutions share management of stormwater and drainage. EPM focuses mostly on stormwater, whereas the Municipal Secretary focuses on the creeks and rivers in the sub-basins. At times, the EPM will assist the Municipal Secretary with various service provisions relating to drainage. The Medellín River is jurisdiction of “Areas Metropolitana” since it is the main river in Aburrá-Medellín Valley. A stormwater plan in concert with flood plain management developed by all the relevant institutions would help to address the overall basin with an integrated solution.
Aqueduct and recollection
The aqueduct network system has a total length of 3472 km (2,157.4 mi) while the water recollection and transport system has a total length of 4248 km (2,639.6 mi). Both are owned and operated by EPM (Empresas Publicas de Medellin).Hydropower
There are 13 hydroelectric plants managed by EPM (Empresas Publicas de Medellin) with a generation capacity of 2,574 MW. The useful capacity of stored water in their reservoirs is 1,606 million m3 or the equivalent to 3,468.2 GWh. This total represents 21.2% of the total capacity (16,340 GWh) in all storage reservoirs in Colombia. Some the noteworthy reservoirs are: Ríogrande II, Embrasures, Miraflores, Porce II, Quebradona, and the Peñol - Guatapé.Water coverage & water use
Water coverage is 100% representing 10 municipalities within the Aburrá-Medellín valley and 2.8 million citizens. The actual demand for water in the basin is 10 m3/s with forecasted demand at 14 m3/s. Availability should not be an issue as the regulated flow is 26 m3/s and treatment capacity is 17.25 m3/s. EPM values put demand as low as 6 m3/s varying greatly from UNC estimates. Per capita water consumption is approximately 211 L/day.Water challenges
Drainage
Urban drainage is a substantial challenge for Medellín for two reasons; first, the population of the MAM continues to grow as the urbanization rate increases; and second, the topography of the MMA is conducive to fast and destructive run off. There are many ravines throughout the Aburrá-Medellín valley that act as natural drainage canals as they course through the city. More and more people result in greater land degradation and fewer permeable surfaces both of which precipitate increased drainage problems.Urbanization
Population growth coupled with urbanizationUrbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
had turned the Medellín River into a dump site for millions of tons of municipal household waste. At the same time, the lack of open land led people to settle on the banks of the river and along its 200 tributaries. Untreated household wastewater accumulated in these streams and they became an open sewer, threatening residents’ health, the aesthetic conditions of the city, and the quality of life in the Aburrá-Medellín valley.
Urbanization keeps taking place throughout the hills of the sub-basins supplying water to the Medellin River. There is also urbanization developing in both downstream and upstream directions along the Medellin River. The population is forecast to be near 4.8 million by 2020.
Pollution
Negative impacts to water resources result from agriculture practices upstream from Medellín in the basin. Impacts include sedimentation and eutrophicationEutrophication
Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...
of the reservoirs. To prevent these impacts, a program of water and soil conservation has been recommended by multilateral development agencies. The program uses economic mechanisms such as paying land owners upstream for sustainable land and water conservation practices. Overall wastewater discharges reached a dangerous levels by the early 1990s and was compounded by the contaminated discharges from the city’s industrial area. Heavy polluting industries include textile tanning facilities and steel manufacturing.
Institutional Framework
Integrated urban water managementIntegrated urban water management
Integrated urban water management is a philosophy of varying definitions and interpretations. According to the authors of the book entitled, "Integrated Urban Water Management: Humid Tropics", IUWM is described as the practice of managing freshwater, wastewater, and storm water as components of a...
in Medellín has become a good practice example. Much of the success in managing water resources is due in great part to strong institutions, some of which are described below. While institutions have been very efficient, services are fragmented. For example, EPM only address a portion of stormwater management in the MAM; other institutions handle the rest. In Medellín, Empresas Varias de Medellin manages solid waste; however, other institutions in the remaining metro area carry out this responsibility and without satisfactory collaboration. A new institutional framework can address some of these shortcomings by incorporating all levels of service and investment and by integrating urban water management services into one institution. Alternately, best practices can be developed and shared among institutions in order to integrate all of the services.
EPM (Empresas Publicas de Medellin) is an integrated state owned utilities company that is property of the Municipality of Medellín. EPM develops the services of water, sanitation, and a portion of stormwater, distributes potable water, and transports and treats wastewater. EPM is a public-sector entity that works like a private company. EPM’s performance is measured by efficiency indicators that are comparable to other successful international water operators. EMP’s development and management policies are based on sustainability and efficiency.
ESP (Empresas Varias de Medellin) is a municipal company which develops the solid waste services. ESP has two fundamental pillars: 1) The strengthening of the local recycling networks; and 2) informal education that addresses how/whom is generating waste.
AMVA (Areas Metropolitana) develops and licenses environment and water resource management of Metropolitan Area of Medellin.
Legal framework
The Water taxation Law 99 of 1993 emphasized the use of economic instruments to induce users of water to comply with environmental laws and ensure that water used for industrial purposes would reusable. The aim was also to influence industrial users to adopt clean technologies for the production of goods. Environmental authorities that guarantee the renewability of water make use of this compensatory tax to cover expenses in carrying out their responsibility.(excerpt below drawn from: Irrigation in Colombia
Irrigation in Colombia
Irrigation in Colombia has been an integral part of Colombia's agricultural and rural development in the 20th Century. Public investment in irrigation has been especially prominent in the first half of the Century...
)
The Colombian Constitution of 1991
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia, better known as the Constitution of 1991, is the current governing document of the Republic of Colombia. Promulgated on July 4 of 1991 , it replaced the Constitution of 1886...
states that the National government shall be responsible for the sustainable use of natural resources, including water resources. Land Development Law No. 41 in 1993 included decrees Nos. 1278 and 2135 with the aim of growing private investment in the irrigation sector while reducing public intervention. The Law incorporates users’ participation in design, building, and posterior operation and maintenance (O&M) by establishing a water fee which includes a fraction of the total costs.
Response to challenges
There is a Water Management Plan of the Aburrá-Medellín river basin that is being implemented by the Medellín government's office of Metropolitan development in the Aburrá-Medellín valley (Area Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá). The plan is composed of the following items: i) design and construction of sewerage in the Girardota municipality; ii) design and construction of sanitation interceptors for the Medellín River in the Caldes municipality; iii) cleanup of small tributaries in the Aburra-Medellín valley through proper handling of domestic wastewater using unconventional systems in areas where collection is difficult; iv) implementation of channel stabilzation; v) cleaning water channels and improving water quality in the Aburra-Medellín valley; and vi) improvement of hydropower capacity on the river by removing sediment in reservoirs.Multi-lateral assistance
The Inter-American Development BankInter-American Development Bank
The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
(IDB) has been working with Medellín on the Medellín River Sanitation Program on and off since the program was approved in the 1980s. In the most recent phase, the IDB approved a 25-year loan to Colombia in February 2009 for US$ 450 million for a cleanup project of the Medellín River. This is the largest loan the IDB has ever issued for a river cleanup and will be used to build a treatment plant in the northern end of the Aburrá-Medellín valley. The new plant will open for operation in 2012 and will increase Medellín’s wastewater treatment capacity to 95%. In a prior phase, an IDB loan of US$130 million was used to build the San Fernando wastewater treatment plant in the southern end of the Aburrá-Medellín valley.
Recommended measures
- A Stormwater management plan (SMP) has been recommended by consultants from development institutions working closely with institutions and government offices of Medellín. The recommended SMP would addresses populations without proper sanitation, the high frequency of floods and related impacts due to urbanization, amenities in poor neighborhoods, and improvement of river conservation. In a second step of the SMP, assessment of risk would be accounted for.
- Ongoing institutional reform on urban water management with the following overall objectives: i) implementing the stormwater institutional framework at all levels of service provision and investment; and ii) integrating urban service provision into one institution.
See also
- Water resources management in ColombiaWater resources management in ColombiaColombia has a long and well established framework for ‘’’water resources management’’’. The Environment Ministry and up to 33 Regional Authorities , are in charge of water resources management and policies at the national and regional and watershed level, respectively...
- Irrigation in ColombiaIrrigation in ColombiaIrrigation in Colombia has been an integral part of Colombia's agricultural and rural development in the 20th Century. Public investment in irrigation has been especially prominent in the first half of the Century...
- Water management in Greater Mexico CityWater management in Greater Mexico CityGreater Mexico City , a metropolitan area with more than 19 million inhabitants including Mexico's capital with about 9 million inhabitants, faces tremendous water challenges...
- Water management in the Metropolitan Region of São PauloWater management in the Metropolitan Region of São PauloWater management in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo faces several challenges, including pollution of drinking water reservoirs that are surrounded by slums, water scarcity leading to conflicts with the Campinas Metropolitan area to the north, inefficient water use, and flooding...
- Urban water management in Bogotá, ColombiaUrban water management in Bogotá, ColombiaWater management in Bogotá, Colombia, a city of more than 7 million inhabitants, faces three main challenges: improving the quality of the highly polluted Bogotá river, controlling floods and revitalizing riparian areas along the river....
- Integrated urban water management in Buenos Aires, ArgentinaIntegrated urban water management in Buenos Aires, ArgentinaIntegrated urban water management ' in Buenos Aires is not unlike many large urban areas in Latin America where in past decades, more focus was placed on just a few sectors or only one sector...
- Water management in greater TegucigalpaWater management in greater TegucigalpaTegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, is located in a central mountainous region having a tropical climate within the Choluteca River Basin. Major rivers supplying the capital city are the Choluteca and Guacerique rivers which then fill the Concepción and Laureles storage reservoirs...
- Integrated urban water management in Aracaju, BrazilIntegrated urban water management in Aracaju, BrazilIntegrated urban water management in Aracaju, the capital city of the Brazilian State of Sergipe has been and still is a challenging prospect. Home to half a million people, Aracaju is located in a tropical coastal zone within a semi-arid state and receives below average rainfall of...