Urban water management in Bogotá, Colombia

Water 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.

The main public entities in charge of water resources management in Bogotá are the district government, the regional environmental agency Corporación Autónoma Regional (CAR) of the department of Cundinamarca

Cundinamarca Department

- Origin of the name :The name of Cundinamarca comes from Kundur marqa, an indigenous expression, probably derived from Quechua. Meaning "Condor's Nest", it was used in pre-Columbian times by the natives of the Magdalena Valley to refer to the nearby highlands....

, and the water and sanitation utility Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Bogotá (EAAB). In a rare move, a court mandated that these entities cooperate to improve the river’s quality, a ruling that translated into an agreement signed in 2007 that defined the responsibilities of each entity and forced them to approach the water management challenges in an integrated way. The agreement prepared the ground for the expansion of the Salitre wastewater treatment plant, construction of a new one, widening and protecting riparian zones, restoring the natural meander of the river, and hydraulically connecting the river to its flood plains. These measures are supported by the World Bank

World Bank

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...

and the 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...

Economic and social

Bogotá is the largest city and economic center in Colombia. With a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$ 86 billion, Bogotá accounts for approximately 25% of Colombia's overall national GDP. Per capita average income is US$ 10,000 making it the fifth highest in South America. At this level of income, Bogotá is one of Latin America's most important metropolitan areas. In general, companies locate their headquarters in Bogotá because of its size, resources, and because the national stock exchange

Bolsa de Valores de Colombia

The Bolsa de Valores de Colombia, also known as BVC, is the principal stock exchange of Colombia. It was created on July 3, 2001 by the union of three extant stock exchanges in Colombia: Bogotá Stock Exchange , Medellín Stock Exchange and Cali's Western Stock Exchange .The company maintains...

is in Bogotá. Bogotá is also a major center for the import and export businesses of the Andes community in Latin America. Important industries include financial services and banking. The headquarters of multinational commercial banks as well as the Banco de la República

Bank of the Republic (Colombia)

The Bank of the Republic is the state-run central bank of the Republic of Colombia. Its main functions are detailed by the Congress according to the . One of them is the issuance of the Colombian currency, the peso.-History:...

, Colombia's central bank, are located in Bogotá. Bogotá is a center for printing and publishing, the national telecommunications network, the largest industrial facilities in the country. Bogotá also houses the central governmental institutions and military headquarters

Military of Colombia

The Military Forces of Colombia are the armed forces of the Republic of Colombia.-Services:The Military of Colombia consists of:* National Army of Colombia * Colombian National Armada - Marines, Navy and Coast Guard attached* Colombian Air Force...

, which represent another major component of the city's economy. And finally, a large and flourishing flower export trade is located in Bogotá.

Employment trends in Bogotá indicate that rates of unemployment have fallen while a growing number of citizens are looking for work. This paradox can largely be explained by ongoing urbanization into Bogotá, therefore poverty remains a substantial problem. Jobs have been created in some sectors, and women are gaining more opportunities for employment, but more progress is needed. Overall, poverty since 1970 has decreased; however, data collected and presented in 2006 by UN-HABITAT at the World Urban Forum in Vancouver, Canada reveal that 50% of the population still live in poverty and many of those live in slums. A separate UN-HABITAT report from 2003 describes three types of slums in Bogotá: inner-city, those lying on the perimeter, and squatter settlements. The total number of those living under these conditions is around 700,000. Additional data by UN-HABITAT shows that wealth is very unevenly distributed and that pockets of poverty exist in Bogotá that are poorer than the poorest regions of the country as a whole.

Geography and climate

Bogotá is located on a high plateau (called sabana, savannah) in the eastern Andes mountains with an elevation of 2,640 meters (8,661 ft) above sea level. The extended region is also known as Altiplano Cundiboyacense meaning "high plateau of Cundinamarca and Boyacá". The Bogotá River

Bogotá River

The Bogotá River is a major river of the Cundinamarca department of Colombia, crossing the region from the northeast to the southwest and passing along the western limits of Bogotá...

crosses the sabana forming Tequendama Falls

Tequendama Falls

The Tequendama Falls is a 132m high waterfall on the Bogotá River, located about 30 km southwest of Bogotá in the municipality of San Antonio del Tequendama...

(Salto de Tequendama) to the south. Tributary rivers form valleys where villages lie and whose economy is based on agriculture, livestock, and artisan production. The sabana is bordered to the east by the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes

Andes

The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

mountain range. Surrounding hills run north-south and parallel to the Guadalupe and Monserrate

Monserrate

Monserrate is a mountain that dominates the city center of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia. It rises to above the sea level, where there is a church with a shrine, devoted to "El Señor Caído" .The hill is a pilgrim destination, as well as a tourist attraction...

mountains. The western city limit is the Bogotá River. Going north, Bogotá extends over the plateau up to the towns of Chía and Sopó.

Bogota has a subtropical highland climate and the average temperature on the sabana is 14.0 °C, varying from 3 °C to 25 °C. Dry and rainy seasons alternate throughout the year. The driest months are December–March with 2–5 cm per month of precipitation; the rainiest months are April and May with ~7 cm monthly totals, and September - November (5–9 cm per month). June and July are usually rainy periods and August is sunny with high winds. Hailstorms are common during the rainy season, and can be very strong, especially in October. Throughout the year, the days are mild and cool while nights can get moderately cold due to calm winds blowing in the evening.

Water management background and recent development

During a period of approximately thirty years from the early 1970s through the 1990s Bogotá's water management focused heavily on water supply and improving the sewer system while not as much attention was given to other aspects of urban water management. These systems were viewed as separate and the management strategy did not account for treatment facilities, local streams, and overall water quality within them. The philosophy is evolving however, and water resources management practice is becoming more of an integrated approach taking into account a multi-sectoral approach looking at water supply, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), drainage and irrigation as one entity. More specifically related to pollution control, and according to work presented by a team of researchers at the British Hydrological Society symposium in 2008, there is a need to consider the sewer system, the WWTP, and the river as one system. There is now considerable planning and investment in the Bogotá urban drainage system, WWTP, wetland recuperation, flood control, and interceptors. These developments in the Bogotá water management system offer multiple opportunities to incorporate integrated methodologies both now and in the future.

Surface water

Water supply in the Bogotá metro area involves a system of watersheds that collect, store, and deliver water to the Bogotá River Basin. Watersheds upstream include Tibitoc with a total storage capacity of 887 Mn³, Chingaza with total storage capacity at 325 Mn³, and Tunjuelo with total storage capacity at 10.4 Mn³. Chingaza, which is Bogotá's primary source for drinking water receives its water from another watershed belonging to the inhabitants of the eastern Colombian plains. Waters from the eastern catchment are transferred to Chinzaga and then finally reach the Rio Bogotá as wastewater after passing through the Bogotá water system. Within these other water basins, there are approximately nine storage reservoirs that supply water by way of tunnel, aqueduct, or tributary to the main water system of Bogotá. Primary storage reservoirs include Chuza, Sisga, Tominé, and the Neusa.

The Bogotá River starts at an elevation of 3,300 meters and flows 370 km before discharging into the Magdalena River at an elevation of 280 meters. The Basin covers 6,000 km² and is divided into three parts: i) upper basin north of Bogotá; ii) middle basin in the Bogotá metropolitan area; and iii) lower basin below Bogotá. While the Bogotá River passes through the middle basin and the Bogotá metro area, three sub-basins, the Salitre, Fucha, and Tunjuelo discharge their tributaries into the Bogotá River before entering the lower basin. The average flow before entering the city is 10 m³/s, and the sub-basins surrounding Bogotá discharge an additional 22 m³/s of wastewater.

Groundwater

While most of the water supply for Bogotá is supplied by rivers, there does exist groundwater that could become a considerable portion of the Bogotá water portfolio. Approximately 26 billion m³ (BCM) is contained in the Guadalupe aquifer representing about 30 times the amount of water stored in all the reservoirs of the city. Groundwater is primarily used for the irrigation of flowers which is a considerable portion of the Bogotá export economy. In the past, wells have been drilled in some areas and aquifer levels have descended causing the collapse of housing developments, roads, and some of the wells themselves.

Water use

The population of Bogotá consumes 100-200 L/day per capita which is generally accepted to be an adequate amount for drinking, bathing, sanitation, and cooking. EAAB estimates per capita usage of around 130 L/day. In Latin America, the average water use was estimated in 2005 at about 240 L/day per capita. Total consumption was about 17 m³/s, of which 85% (or 14.5 m³/s) was returned to the Bogotá River downstream. The other municipalities in the basin used about 1 m³/s, for a total of 18 m³/s for the whole basin. This amount increased to 23–25 m³/s by year 2000 and is expected to reach 27–32 m³/s by 2010. There remains approximately 700,000 people in the metropolitan area and 75,000 in other municipalities that are without water services.

Drainage

The Bogotá drainage system consists of three main sub-catchments: the Salitre, Fucha and Tunjuelo. Each one drains from east to west. The drainage system is a combination of a combined and separated system. The first drainage system developments (before 1965) were constructed in the central part of Salitre sub-catchment and the eastern part of Fucha sub-catchment and they consist of a combined system with an approximate length of 74 km² while newer ones (since 1965) consist of separated systems.

Wastewater and treatment

The original wastewater master plan for Bogotá was conceived in the late 1980s, and called for the construction of one 22 m³/s wastewater treatment plant downstream of the city. In the early 1990s, however, the municipal government changed course and decided to pursue 3 medium-sized wastewater treatment plants, one for each of the three micro-basins (Salitre, Fucha, and Tunjuelo) in Bogotá. In 1994, the city entered into a build-operate-transfer (BOT) concession contract with a French consortium for a 4 m³/s primary WWTP called Salitre, which is located in the northern part of Bogotá. The plant started operations in 2000, and in December 2003 the district canceled the contract, purchased the plant from the consortium, and turned over its operation to EAAB. The existing Salitre WWTP does not provide adequate treatment and so there will be an expansion and upgrade to a 8m³/s secondary WWTP to serve the northern population in Bogota City.

Irrigation

Because of the relatively high levels of precipitation, little water is needed for irrigation by farms in the Bogotá region. About 6–7 m³/s in total is used for irrigation. The watering of flowers in many Bogotá greenhouses is one the most important agricultural and economic activities making Colombia one of the largest exporters of flowers in the world. This high-value export business has created a sustainable use for water.

Of special interest, La Ramada Irrigation District is a component of an irrigation and wetland management program on the upper Bogotá river. Within the program, La Ramada irrigation district will be expanded from 5,550 ha to 18,535 ha (13,590 acres to 45,800 acres). La Ramada is bordered to the west by the Tenjo watershed, by the Chicú River to the North and by the Bogotá River on the eastern and southern borders. There are about 800 farmers who ensure irrigation to the land within the borders of their irrigation district, within management schemes, and along a set of water resources management criteria.

Hydropower

A complex hydroelectric system has been built, taking advantage of natural water falls or channeling and piping water to steep slopes to produce hydroelectric power. About 670 MW are now generated in the Bogotá region alone. An additional 600 MW are expected to be produced by the Chingaza project. The Bogotá power company (EMGESA) has constructed a hydropower facility (1124 MW installed capacity) downstream of Bogotá to take advantage of the river flow and elevation drop. The holding reservoir for the EMGESA power complex is the 853 ha Muña reservoir, which is also highly contaminated.

Wastewater treatment

The Salitre WWTP has been in operation for ten years, however, the city of Bogotá has not seen an improvement in water quality because 80% of the city's wastewater continues to flow untreated into the river. In December 2004, the Department of Planning (Departamento Nacional de Planeación, DNP) issued a strategic planning document for the Bogotá River calling for an upgrade and expansion of the Salitre WWTP to a capacity of 8 m³/s to address a portion of the remaining 80% of untreated wastewater. The plan also calls for the construction of a larger primary plant with a 14 m³/s treatment capacity to be located downstream of Bogotá. This larger WWTP called Canoas will treat wastewater from the Fucha, Tunjuelo and Soacha basins.

Wetlands recuperation

In 1950, there were an estimated 50,000 acres (20,234 ha) of wetlands connected to the Bogotá River and in 2009, there is less than 2,500 acres (1,000 ha). Much of it has been degraded by poor water quality. In response to the degradation of the wetlands, a strong environmental movement has emerged in Bogotá that actively promotes the protection and expansion of wetland areas. In 2006, the Bogotá district government passed a comprehensive wetlands management policy. The district government, EAAB, and CAR are working to protect the rivers wetlands through regulations and environmental management programs.

Urbanization

Many countries and major metro centers are experiencing a continuous increase in urbanization and Bogotá is no exception. The population has increased from 4 million in 1973 to 6.8 million in 2006. The population is expected to reach 8.4 million by 2020. This predicted urbanization will continue to exert pressure on the infrastructures, institutions, and water resource management mechanisms that are in place. Furthermore, increased urbanization implies that the construction of more drainage, WWTP, conveyance, and flood control infrastructure will be necessary. All of the housing built by new residents and the subsequent water infrastructure to support a growing population has the effect of reducing impermeable surfaces, thus adding to another one the challenges Bogotá is facing, flood and stormwater control.

Pollution

Domestic and industrial wastewater along with sewer overflows are discharged untreated into three urban rivers (Salitre, Fucha and Tunjuelo) and other open channels across the city. This primarily occurs by way of illegal connections to storm drains, solid waste from a growing urban population, and industries along the Salitre, Fucha, and Tunjuelo Rivers. During the dry season, wastewater flow is about 17 m³/s while the capacity of the primary wastewater treatment plant at Salitre is only 4 m³/s. The primary river, the Bogotá, is therefore one of the most polluted rivers in the world and even includes an anaerobic

Hypoxia (environmental)

Hypoxia, or oxygen depletion, is a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments as dissolved oxygen becomes reduced in concentration to a point where it becomes detrimental to aquatic organisms living in the system...

stretch of about 60 km. In the lower basin of the city, more untreated wastewater is flushed into the Bogotá River just a few kilometers upstream of the Tequendama Falls

Tequendama Falls

The Tequendama Falls is a 132m high waterfall on the Bogotá River, located about 30 km southwest of Bogotá in the municipality of San Antonio del Tequendama...

before it is then transferred to the Muña reservoir for hydroelectric generation. Tequendama falls rarely has water in it. EAAB is financing a project to include the construction of new interceptors on the Salitre and Fucha rivers to transport wastewater to a new WWTP with capacity of 8 m³/s.

Flooding and environmental restoration

Prior to 1950, the Bogotá River was a meandering river in the middle section of the basin with many wide riparian areas, extensive flood plains, and thriving ecosystmes such as the La Conejera, Juan Amarillo, and Jaboque wetlands. Rapid urbanization has resulted in the channelization of the river, destruction of wetlands, and settlements along the river making the river much more prone to flooding. In response, CAR is incorporating a flood works program by widening and protecting riparian zones, restoring the natural meander of the river, and hydraulically connecting the river to its flood plains. In one particular component of the World Bank loan to CAR, EAAB, and the District Government; the Flood Control and Environmental Works project will finance a comprehensive river recuperation program that incorporates best practice in urban river restoration. This component consists of improving flood control from an existing 10-25-year return period to a 100-year period, restoring part of the river flood plain, creating and enhancing wetlands and multifunctional parks, and complementing wastewater infrastructure with existing wastewater treatment when possible.

The water company EAAB is actively involved in a participatory program of ecological recovery of the wetlands alongside the river. Program objectives include: the recuperation, protection, and conservation of wetlands; restoring the ecosystem services that these wetlands provide to biodiversity; enjoyment of these landscapes; and improved environmental education. These goals are to met through the development of new lines of action and support from working in collaboration with the District Secretary of Environment, environmental organizations, and other government players. Program objectives are to conform to a current framework of environmental regulations, the wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

policy set by the district capital, and the terms as defined in the Ramsar

Ramsar

Ramsar is a city in and the capital of Ramsar County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 31,659, in 9,421 families....

convention on wetlands. Specific ecosystem services provided by the wetlands that will be attained include; flood control, stabilization of biogeochemical cycles, carbon sequestration and diversification of aquatic

Aquatic ecosystem

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems....

habitats and wildlife.

Legal initiatives

In the 1970s, wastewater was becoming an increasing problem. All of the city's untreated wastewater was being discharged into the Bogotá river and ultimately the reservoir behind the Muña dam. The community of Muña brought a lawsuit against EAAB, CAR, EMGESA, and the district government for negligence. The courts ultimately agreed with the community and then required a review process and action plan to address the grievances brought forth by Muña. The court added that if no progress was made on the action plan, they would intervene and mandate terms to each of the defendants in the case. The defendants appealed and the process went to review again. Upon the further review, a judge ruled again in favor of Muña and delegated shared responsibilities to CAR, EAAB, and the District. The defendants agreed to the terms set by the court ruling and the prevailing legal document was called Convenio 171 and was signed by all parties in 2007. Convenio 171 called for CAR to finance and construct the upgrade and expansion of the Salitre WWTP. CAR did this by creating a special account for the Bogotá wastewater program called Fondos Para Inversiones Ambientales en Bogotá (FIAB) (Funds for environmental investment in Bogotá). EAAB agreed to construct the new interceptors to the forthcoming Canoas WWTP.

Multi-stakeholder assistance

The World Bank

World Bank

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...

is in the planning phases with CAR, EAAB, and the Government District to help refine the Sanitation Plan (Plan de Saneamiento) and establish the basis for a long-term program to improve the water environment in the basin. Project cost is US$487 million. The bank is offering assistance with an integrated urban water management strategy. The goal is to enable Bogotá to move towards a sustainable approach to improving the river and creating an urban environmental asset. Objectives include a model project for urban river recuperation that incorporates water quality improvements, flood control, wetlands, and multifunctional parks.

The 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) is in the planning phase for a US$50 million loan to support CAR in its Bogotá Rriver cleanup efforts. The IDB also contributed a US$1.5 million grant to CAR's environmental control program. An additional US$643,000 was put in by CAR itself. The projects for the basin's protection are to be carried out in multiple stages, the first of which implements an institutional, managerial, financial and operational framework to carry out the cleanup project. With the loan, CAR plans on building aqueducts and increasing potable water supply, drainage systems and wastewater treatment for all 41 municipalities located in the Bogotá river basin. The money could also finance the design, construction and operation of wastewater treatment plants for municipalities that do have them.

Institutional framework

The municipal government of the Bogotá Capital District has been involved in the mediation and delegation of responsibilities. Convenio 171 was the resulting document of a judge ruling that dictated terms to both CAR and EAAB. These two institutions agreed to terms of responsibility with the overall goal of recuperating the Bogotá River and improving flood control.

CAR (Corporación Autónoma Regional) of the Cundinamarca Department is the regional environmental agency with responsibility to execute the environmental policies of the National Government. More specifically, CAR carries out conservation, recuperation, and decontamination of renewable natural resources.

EAAB (Empresa de Agua y Alcantarillado de Bogotá (EAAB) is the Water and sewerage company of Bogotá. Wholly owned and operated by the Colombian government, EAAB has transformed from a near bankrupt company into a financially sound utility. EAAB work focuses on the following: i) construction of wastewater interceptors; ii) design and implementation of the wastewater treatment scheme; iii) implementation of a water quality monitoring network in water courses; and iv) installation of a water quality monitoring network in the sewer system. EAAB is responsible for building new interceptors that will carry wastewater to the treatment plants. While CAR is constructing the new Salitre treatment plant, EAAB is responsible for operation and maintenance of the plant. EAAB is also responsible for recuperation of wetlands alongside of the Bogotá River.

EMGESA is The Bogotá Power Company with a mission to generate and commercialize electric energy under the terms of Law 143 from 1994. EMGESA has been growing in large part to its Hydroelectric endeavors on the Muña reservoir and further downstream on the Magdalena River.

MAVDT (El Ministro del Ambiente) is The Ministry of Environment and responsible for the promotion of sustainable development through the formulation and adoption of policies, plans, programs, projects and regulation in environmental matters, renewable natural resources, land use, drinking water and basic sanitation, and territorial and urban development.

DNP (Departamento Nacional de Planeacion) is the National Department of Planning and their basic objectives are the preparation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, general plans, programs and projects of the public sector. The DNP is charged with the long-term monitoring of the national and international economies, as well as proposing plans and programs for the economic, social and environmental development of the country.

The Environmental Secretary (Secretaria Ambiental) is the environmental authority in the Bogotá Capital District and has administrative and financial autonomy. Their objective is to formulate environmental policies and regulate its implementation. Both the Environmental Secretary and the EAAB are representatives of the district to the Bogotá river environmental strategy.

Economic and social

Geography and climate

Water management background and recent development

Surface water

Groundwater

Water use

Drainage

Wastewater and treatment

Irrigation

Hydropower

Wastewater treatment

Wetlands recuperation

Urbanization

Pollution

Flooding and environmental restoration

Legal initiatives

Multi-stakeholder assistance

Institutional framework

Further Reading

See also