Flood management and slums formation in Magdalena?s River Basin-Colombia (página 2)

Picture 1-1 La Gabarra Cesar
Magdalena’s Flood

Every year many the communities and slums along the
Colombian rivers flood plains are flooded. The solutions given to
prevent, and mitigate these events are not the appropriate
ones.

Picture 1-2 Flood in Magdalena’s
river

Table 1-1 Characteristics Main Colombian
Watersheds

Source:FAO, 2000. ECLAC,2000

Colombia’s Potential Risk Flood
Zones

Map 1-1

Source IDEAM 2002

Forced displacement of Colombian population due to the
armed conflict. See Pictures 1-3 and 1-4

Picture 1-3 Displaced People moving to towns and
flood plains and Guerrilla Fighters Picture 1-4

Map of Departments where most displaced people go and
settle. See

Map 1-2

Source Codhes-Sisdes 2000

1.2 National Policies in Magdalena’s Flood
Management

Colombia has been searching for more than 60 years a
physical project where to join all the economic activities in
order to protect the entire social infrastructure and the
conservation of the nature.

Since the 50’s the management of the natural
resources and the environment has been done by public entities,
based primarily in the geographic area of the
watershed.

These entities without fulfilling the main objective of
managing the natural resources as public goods searching for the
people’s benefit, they also assumed the role of taking care
of the environment including activities such as planning,
management, preservation, conservation and protection, failing in
all of the activities mentioned above.

In the problems related to Magdalena’s floods the
control measures
where expressed only in structural measures and punctual
solutions, overlooking an integral view of the basin.

The problems of flooding of Magdalena’s river at
its tributaries has been intervened by the National government,
executing actions through different institutions such as the
Public ministry of construction, the Agriculture’s
Ministry, Regional Corporations, Energy enterprises, all of them
have been dealing with developed in isolated cases with no
integral management and without the participation of the
community and stakeholders.

However, in 1991 the national constitution was changed.
With the new constitution the governors and the majors are
elected by popular election. At the same time, the new
constitution creates a new figure called decentralization, which
means that each region, state or municipality are responsible for
its own investment, and has to provide a good quality of life
(health, education, infrastructures, among others), to all the
population.

Thus the new constitution gives the autonomy to every
department (state) to achieve their own goals and to solve their
own problems. Hence, the role of the national institutions is to
develop national guidelines in order to give some ideas or basic
parameters to the regional and local institutions. The National
guidelines can be flexible while the regional or local can be
severe.

The General Direction for Attention and prevention of
Disasters DGPAD. This office works
together with other public, private and community organizations
and with the National Institute Of Hydrology,
Meteorology And Environmental Studies IDEAM.
Both institutions are working together in warning the communities
about the possible emergencies by radio stations
messages or communications between government stations of alarms,
due to the increase of water levels in rivers. Parallel to this
in the private sector, there are NGO’s, the civil
defense and the Red Cross. Civil volunteers that are
attending the communities in case of emergencies.

In 1993 the national government created the Ministry
of Environmentwhich implements the Regional Autonomies
Corporations-C.A.R all over the country 35 in total including
the Regional Autonomy of the Rio Grande de la Magdalena that are
responsible for the conservation, protection, administration,
recuperation and use of the natural renewable resources across
the country.

1.3 The Armed conflict and the Slums situation in
Colombia

The forced displacement is one of the biggest and
serious manifestations of the armed conflict; it is a fight for
the resources, the territory and political power.

The slum formation is product of forced displacement,
this one considered as a national human tragedy, since 1985 has
affected around 400 thousand homes that compose more than
2000.000 of Colombians.

During the two first years of Andres Pastrana’s
government around 580.000 Colombians, were displaced by the armed
troops including guerrillas and paramilitaries forces.

From a constitutional responsibility point of view the
state is unable to avoid the displacement of people and the
formation of slums, because the government does not have the
capacity of establish sovereignty in the conflict.

The third part of the displaced people in 1999 escaped
in a massive way through a same place, such as towns, cities,
river flood plains and country borders, increasing the poverty,
school abandoned and slums formation.

The government formulated some new policies for the
attention of displaced population through a document of the
COPNES (National Advisors for National Policies) edited a law in
November 10 1999, emphasizing the its attention in supplying the
basic necessities including a decent home for displaced
people.

2 PROBLEM
IDENTIFICATION

• -Magdalena’s river basin faces slum formation
  and Flood management problems such as creation and
  implementation of the new policies, following with the
  institutions that are working in the area and according to the
  real problems that are affecting the river.

• -Lack of integrated water resource management in all
  the national institutions, stakeholders’ participation
  and community workgroups formation.
• -Drug conflict and empowerment of
  illegal armed troops, increases the power of fire, generating
  more violence and displacement of population.
• -Necessity for the development of an integrated
  master plan for the
  local authorities has to be a priority.
• -The study problem will be focused in most affected
  zone of Magdalena’s river basin, between Andina’s
  and Caribbean regions

3.
OBJECTIVES

This individual study will be focus on:

• Studying the existing situation regarding to slum
  formation in the flood plains, flood hazard, and flood
  management practices in Magdalena’s River
  Basin.
• Select the most representative area, which needs
  immediate intervention and flood management policies and
  practices.
• Determine boundary conditions for immediate actions
  in a master plan that copes to slums formation and flood
  prevention.
• Recommend institutional, improvements and measures
  for Magdalena’s river basin.

4
METHODOLOGY

The methodology proposed for the individual
study:

• Data collection of the national situation about
  slum formation, floods and its prevention and mitigation
  actions.
• Select some examples of slum formation and flood
  events.
• Select a watershed and flood areas in which the
  study will be focused.
• Analysis of the technical information and
  institutional information
• Definition of boundary conditions and problems
  taken for the development of Magdalena’s river basin
  solution.
• Conclusions
• Recommendations

The time frame proposed for the project is:

5.0
MAGDALENA’S RIVER

5.1 Magdalena’s River Basin

Magdalena’s river is the most important river in
Colombia; it is
located in the central part of the country, going through the
Andinas region, which is the center of the country’s
development.

It starts to flow in ¨¨el Paramo de las
papas¨¨ mountain in the Colombian mountains chain in
Magdalena’s lake, located in ¨Huila´s¨¨
department, it flows through the country from north to south with
a length of 1536 km and an average discharge of 7100
m3/s.

The tributary area of the basin is 257.000 square
kilometres, that Correspond to 22.8% of the total surface of the
national territory. Its trajectory starts between an Andinas
valley in the oriental and Central chain mountains the river goes
through economic heart of the country, where the natural
resources and the best conditions for development, because almost
all industries, roads, dams and agriculture development are
located in this region.

The yearly precipitation is estimated in a 2000 mm with
a variation in the inner basin of 800 mm to 5000 mm in certain
zones. The river in its first part presents a torrential flow,
due to its steep slope, which starts decreasing, becoming in a
meandering river, observing material of cobbles, gravel and sand
this situation is seen as far as the town of
¨¨Honda¨¨where the river changes from meandering
to braided, forming small islands, which is located in the Middle
Magdalena. See table 5.1

Months of High and Low levels in Magdalena’s Basin
Table 5-1

Source Awad and Alvarez 2002

In the city of ¨¨El Banco¨¨
downstream the basin, the river suffers a new transition
penetrating a zone with particular characteristics conformed of
numerous natural canals and lagoons, forming a network of canals
through all the system. This area suffers of periodic floods
during the months of October and November, affecting
approximately 2 million hectares in the most severe events and
730.000 hectares in the less severe events. See table
5.2

and the dynamic of the river.

Duration of Flood and Flooded Area Table
5-2

Source Awad and Alvarez 2002

5.1.1 Facing the Flood Problems

Magdalena’s river basin has a variety of
hydrologic conditions, and all kinds of tributaries, this is due
that is located in a unique geographical condition, among three
chain mountains, the hydrological network of the basin is
abundant, where all its tributaries converge, producing
situations of floods in its floodplains and
vicinities.

In the basin two types of floods can be established
according to the regime of the flow, floods in torrential type
and floods in alluvial type. The torrential are originated in the
mountain area of the Andinas zone, corresponding to
Magdalena’s basin, where it is formed of with high slopes
during winter season that transform all tributaries in dangerous
rivers, originating floods in its floodplains.

Another phenomena that is related to floods are
generated by avalanches, that occur because of ice melting, or
water storage due to the obstruction of the flow, this occurs
because of landslides and generate high volumes of water, that
flow with an extremely force downstream, producing erosion in the
embankments flowing with big stones, high amounts of sediment
which destruct anything in its vicinities.

These are the worst phenomena in Magdalena’s river
basin, and are the ones that generate material and human losses.
The rains in Magdalena’s river basin consist in a bimodal
way with maximum events in April and May October and November,
the highest discharges can be detected in the second period of
the year, where the capacity of storage reduces
considerably.

Downstream storage water capacity of the basin is
estimated in 40.000 millions of Square meters, in Colombia as
consequence of floods and other natural events, the material
losses can reach 35 million dollars, more than 65000 thousand
people affected by the floods, and 250 human life losses. See
table 5-3

Magdalena’s Flood Losses in Million Dollars.
Table 5-3

Source Awad and Alvarez 2002

Magdalena’s river basin is one of the dangerous of
the country, taking into account the 90% of the losses and 70% of
human losses, and also agriculture, industry are affected
indirectly, in 1994, the floods generated losses to 8000 houses
and more than 250.000 people were homeless, corresponding to the
47.5% and 80.7% to the total of events of catastrophic
classification, showing that floods are the most important event
that affect the economy of the country. See Figure 5-1 and
Figure 5-2

Figure 5-1

Source Codhes-Sisdes

Figure 5-2

5.1.2 Mitigation Measures in Magdalena’s River
Basin

The experience shows that in the basin some projects
were located to control floods, which represent a low percentage,
according to the dimension of the problem. The projects were made
in order to solve or mitigate some specific zones, but not a
master plan or design for the whole basin.

5.1.3 Hydrometeorologic Alert Network in
Magdalena’s River Basin

Since 1970 were given the first steps for the
establishment in Colombia of a Hydrometeorologic network, under
an assessment of a Canadian enterprise, which after analysing the
situations of water levels and main parameters of the river in
that time recommended to create an alarm radio network based
mainly in the installation of a series of radios in high
frequency to prevent and start the alarms in case of water level
increase, the application of new methods of analysis and the
access of
improved technologies had increased the accuracy and the
opportunity of the systems of alert to obtain constant data in
real time of hydrologic, atmospheric and periodic
images.

In Magdalena’s river basin 59 automatic stations
have been installed for satellite transmission of data but the
operation, maintenance and transmission of information still
needs to be improved. See Table 5-4

Monitoring Stations and Entities in Charge of Monitoring
See Table 5-4

Source Awad and Alvarez 2002

The specific functions of the program are:

• Keep on monitoring during the 24 hours the
  parameters and indicators of risk that point through and
  analysis of warning system
• Keep the statistical data in all the hydrologic
  parameters, and all radio, satellite information available
  for an immediate use.
• Generate daily evaluations of the
  information.
• Obtain, tabulate, and make graphical reports in
  real time and its analysis.
• Prepare and analyse hydrological models, report and
  send the corresponding reports to the main
  stations.
• Verify and calibrate the models used in
  Magdalena’s river.

5.1.4 Non-Structural measures for
prevention.

In the last decade maps of risk areas of flood have been
developed in 1:2000 scale with Return periods of 2, 20, and 100
years, these maps are used to make the soil uses maps, in order
to detect the risky zones and prepare the plans for future region
development.

The Measures for protection and commonly used in the
past years are the structural ones like dikes, groynes but the
appropriate use and management of the areas with risk of flood
should be implemented in a complemented way.

5.1.5 Navigation Uses of Magdalena’s
River

The navigation canal has a length of 22 kilometres from
its outlet as far as the bridge ¨¨Laureano
Gomez¨¨, the government edicted the first law in 1993
with the responsibility of keeping the navigation depth of 30
feet for the navigation canal. The maintenance of the river
depends on its discharge, requiring bathymetry measures every
week in order to determine dredging zones.

The reactivation of the river transport will lead to the
development of the Caribbean region, connecting the country with
the rest of the world with the port of Barranquilla in the coast
and Puerto Berrio’s port in the inner Country.

6.0
SLUM FORMATION IN MAGDALENA’S RIVER

6.1 Causes of Slum Formation in
Colombia

The armed conflict does not stop, it tends to affect
more regions and more social sectors in the country and also to
degrade more and more, because none of the armed actors exclude
the population, in the other hand they try to deep them in their
fight.

The forced displacement is the biggest humanitarian
problem that Colombia faces; besides of the 2000.000 million
displaced people including all kinds of political, social and
cultural ties, because all the big problems this generates for
the future of Colombia, and the tendency to the social
separation. The persistence of these migratory phenomena is
really challenging the society, because by the force is being
changed the social and demographic structure of the expulsion
zones, increasing spontaneously and chaotic the population in
zones that are not prepared for this sudden invasion, increasing
the social problems environment degradation and
poverty.

More than 3000.000 Ha of land have been abandoned by
90.000 families with rural ties between 1996 and 1999,
challenging these small families for survival in conditions out
of their own environment. See Figure 6-1

Figure 6-1

Source Codhes-Sisdes

The humanitarian situation in Colombia remains critical
civil war, forced displacement, assassinations and kidnappings of
civilians, and escalating urban violence coupled with wide spread
poverty, have worn though the country’s social fabric,
moreover the armed conflict has intensified since peace talks
between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces
FARC broke
down in February 2002, two million people displaced by conflict
since 1985 are one measure of the human toll. These are often
society’s most vulnerable subsistence farmers, women
children and ethnic minorities and their health is seriously
affected. There are high morbidity and mortality rates from
communicable diseases, as well as high levels of
malnutrition

6.2 The Internal War and Slum Formation in
Magdalena’s Flood Plains

The slum formation and forced displacement in Colombia
is a phenomena that gets more difficult for all the rural
population where people are facing problems of war. From the
perspective of human rights, the existence of this moving
populations, with varied ages and gender, questioning the
responsibility of the country and its legitimacy, requiring an
imperious obligation to repair the rights, and prevent migrations
and protect the victims from the armed conflict. The forced
displacement destroys the environments, separates families,
societies, and impacts in a negative way the quality of life
affecting the life of everyone, 75% of the displaced people come
from rural zones, indigenous and afro Colombian
communities.

The responsible of the forced displacement are
Guerrillas with 43%, Paramilitaries 35% and armed forces 9%
unknown 9% and others 4%. The slum formation in Magdalena’s
flood plains starts with a struggle for a physical settlement,
basically to supply its basic needs, such as energy water supply,
and sanitation. They settle in the river flood plains because
there they can obtain minimal basic needs like wood for energy,
fish, water, sanitation, and some of them fertile soils for
growing small amount of crops. See Figure 6-2 and Figure
6-3

Figure 6-2

Source Codhes-Sisdes

Figure 6-3

Source Codhes-Sisdes

In the zones where displaced people arrive, they are
affected by stigmatisation and racial discrimination, the
circumstances in which the process of adaptation develops into
the new scenarios, where new out comers tend to lose their
identities, occupying small spaces denying its roots in order to
survive in their new habitat.

In the invaded flood plains there is a high percentage
of communities which try to solve their dramatic situation of
high-level mal-nutrition in children and diverse illness due to
climatic conditions of the new zone. In the slum formation
¨¨Nelson Mandela¨¨ located in the Department of
Bolivar in
Magdalena’s river flood plain, it was found that the
dwellers were living in extreme conditions of no sanitation. The
permanent disposal from houses and trash in decomposition,
circulating all around the houses, in one of the sectors of this
slum 1027 children were found in bad conditions of nutrition,
there were no sanitation conditions, no health care and no study
possibilities. See Figure 6-4

Figure 6-4

Source Codhes-Sisdes

The civilians strategy for war is to emigrate to places
to avoid war and find safe places for their families, while
paramilitaries, government and guerrillas fight for territories
and lands of high economical value. The displacement without
truce show a population of 288.127 persons that belong to 57.625
families that were obliged to escape in 1999 by direct or
indirect action of paramilitary and guerrilla’s groups but
the history of displaced people starts increasing in between 1985
to 1994 with 89.000 displaced families, in 1995 181.000 families,
in 1996 257.000 thousand people, in 1997 308.000 people displaced
that is to say in Colombia there are around 2000.000 million
people displaced from their living and working places as a
consequence of the armed conflict in the last 15 years. The
displaced people are the reflex of changing scenarios in the
geography of war, a manifestation of hate for the civilians that
struggle in every place they find without rules and weapons for
their survival and their families.

6.3 The Changing Geography of Magdalena’s
Floodplains and Formation of Slums

The changing situation and increase of war affected the
departments of Bolivar, Norte de Santander, Antioquia and Cordoba
all situated in Magdalena’s river basin. This situation was
reached by an increment of the conflict in this territories
mainly in the central and northern part of the Andina’s
region, due to their economical development, natural resources,
fertility of soils and the lack of presence of the state, without
any guarantee of security for the population.

This phenomenon generated that the displaced population
escaped to places of important localization of commercial and
agricultural activities through zones for new colonization or
reach soils, in order to find food security, protection or away
from the armed conflict. Approximately 200.000 thousand people
invaded the river flood plains of Magdalena’s river in the
past years, families coming of every part of the downstream
departments that are having war conflict in their areas, however
the situation is still in dramatic conditions because of lack of
solutions of the government in order to incorporate them in
projects of integral participation. See Maps 6-1 and Map
6-2

Departments in the Conflict area Where Displaced People
Emigrate. Map 6-1

Source reliefweb 2004

Often Flood Areas in Magdalena’s
River Basin. Map 6-2

Source IDEAM 2004

7.0 FRAMEWORK FOR MASTER
PLAN

7.1
Introduction

Floods and slum formation are one of the main problems
in the Magdalena’s river basin. War conflict is displacing
thousands of people from their own lands to river floodplains and
increasing danger of flooding population. Thus, the critical
flood areas in Magdalena’s River are located on the lower
Magdalena mainly in the Departments of Bolivar, Cesar, Magdalena,
Cordoba, Antioquia, Cesar, Santander and Atlantico

In 1991 the national constitution ordered to create a
management structure the Rio Grande de La Magdalena Corporation
in order to guide and formulate an Action Plan for the Water
Resources Management in Magdalena’s River Basin.

All along the river Corporations were created in order
to manage, plan and distribute the river. See table
7-1

Departments and Local Corporations in Charge of Managing
the River.

Table 7-1

All of them are in charge of managing the natural
resources along middle and downstream part of the river and also
they are in charge of:

• Improving navigation along the river and the
  environment.
• Improving the river banks protection
  works
• Development of a framework for the use of the flood
  prone areas in order to reduce and to prevent the damages and
  losses due to floods.
• Hydropower exploitation resources taking into
  account the navigation along the river.
• Protection of the biological resource existing
  along the river.
• Touristic recreation along the river.
• Coordination and supervision of the environmental
  projects, lands and soil uses distribution.

None of them was created to attend the problem of slums
formation in the floodplains, and that is the reason these
institutions, do not have the mechanism and the experience to
face these kind of problems, besides of this each institution
works separately and its measures and studies are used in an
independent way without any cooperation or link from the other
corporations for the same river.

7.2 Water Resources
Management in Magdalena’s Downstream River
Basin

7.2.1 General features

The characteristic of a flat area in downstream
watershed makes it one of the largest floodplains than in other
regions of the country, it has a capacity of 40,000
km2 for flood absorption, this area is not enough for
sufficient storage for flood events making of it a vulnerable
area for flooding in every rainy season of the year, besides the
formation of slums is increasing day by day in this region due to
the displaced people generated by war conflict

7.2.2 Policies,
Trends and Guiding Principles

Policies and trends are now present in the country for
managing Magdalena’s river basin problems; the existing
information will be used to define the main component of the
framework.

7.3.Policies

7.3.1 National
Policies

The Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Transport
define flood policies in the country, as a complement other
corporations and institutions are related with floods management
like Corantioquia, Cornare, Corpocesar, Cardique, Cormag, IDEAM,
the local authorities and CorMagdalena.

However, there are other institutions that are
associated with floods and are linked with the Agriculture and
Rural Development Ministry those are, the Colombian Rural
Development Institute INCODER, The National Agency for Land Use
FONAT, and the Superior Council for Land Use, their role in the
flood management field is explained as follows:

• Agriculture and Rural Development
  Ministry

In the field of flood management this ministry has the
responsibility to assign the areas that frequently have problems
of floods. Those areas have to be assigned as land use districts;
this category allows the local authority to ask for the execution
of the required structures and the funds necessary to improve
flood defense in the area.

Linked to this ministry there are other institutions
like the INCODER, FONAT and the Superior Council of Land
Use.

The Superior Council of land use is the institution in
charge of the coordination of all national policies, also is the
supervisor of the actions that are executed by the other
institutions in the area of flood management.

IDEAM is the national institution responsible for the
hydrological and meteorological information, however its role in
this ministry is to define the parameters that have to be taken
into account in the realization of the hydraulic studies in the
area of concern, hence the land use districts.

The INCODER is the institute in charge of the execution
of the structures, which were designed by the consultant or by
the IDEAM.

The FONAT is the office in commanded to supervise the
financial aspect and the management of the project executed by
INCODER. The organization of the Ministry

Therefore, the ministry and the linked institutions are
responsible for the execution of the structures necessary to
prevent and mitigate floods in the land use districts.

In the other hand the ministries in charge of attending
social problems like forced displacement, are Ministry of social
protection, ministry of education, Environment, and human rights,
all of them work in a separate way but the focus in the same
objective that is to try to guarantee the people’s rights
and normal conditions and facilities to live, in
theory.

However, these institutions are working more in the last
years existing problems of the country than in avoiding the
formation of new slums in the floodplains for that reason it is
necessary to encourage local authorities in order to attend the
local necessities and work with the tools that already exist in
order to prevent flood losses in the future.

The local authorities are responsible for the future use
of the floodplain areas. These areas will become land use
districts according to the law 41/93, and also will be a property
of the state, once it is declared a land use district.

The use of these areas can be defined in the beginning
by the local authority but it is recommendable to ask the
Ministry of Agriculture what kind of project can be
developed.

Therefore, the local authorities have to involve the
communities around the project that will be executed in the
floodplain area in order to improve the quality of life of the
inhabitants in the area.

7.3.2 Local policies for
Flooding

There are no local policies for slum formation, for
flood mitigation or flood prevention. The General Direction for
Prevention and attention of Disasters and their departments in
the main cities an some towns execute programs that are developed
to warn the communities or to help them in a precarious way when
the event occurs, but nevertheless in the small towns or invaded
floodplains there are no policies regarding this
field.

7.3.2.1
Trends

Trends about mitigation and prevention of natural
hazards in Colombia are relatively new, starting in 1989, when
the national government created the national office for
prevention and attention of natural disasters, as a consequence
of the Armero’s flash flood in
November of 1985.

In the same decade the central government established
some policies that took in consideration floods as a natural
hazard. These policies were not enough and were not well applied
in this area due to the lack of experts knowledge, and
tools.

Although, the international concern about this matter is
focus in the reduction of the flood risk. However, in Colombia
this trend is far away from this task, the national and local
effort is focused in solving local issues more than reducing the
flood risk in the floodplains.

Flood prevention, flood mitigation and slum formation
are new topics in which the national policies should trend but
sometimes due to political reasons and lack of vision of the main
governors and parties involved. There is a general amnesia in the
government and in population for the past flood events, and
people start building again in places that were affected by
flooding years ago.

7.4 Guiding Principles

7.4.1The Local Authorities
Role

The local authorities have to define; the priorities of
the region what are the floods problems that are going face every
year (flood risk assessment). Besides they have to make the
territorial organization plan which consist of an inventory of
the existing buildings and in the future land use projects, the
populations settled in it, and the existing
infrastructure.

Local authorities have to establish an educational
program around the area in order to inform the people about the
project and the necessity of their active
participation.

The central government requires that the local or
regional authorities contribute financially with a percentage of
the funds, as a result it is important to establish in the
beginning of the year an item to facilitate the
payments.

The local and regional authorities have to separate
every year an item in their accounts for the maintenance of the
structures. The community can do the maintenance, however the
local or regional authorities are responsible. Therefore, the
authority has to establish a monthly maintenance book, which
allows the person in charge to do the future works and also
serves to follow the behaviour of the structure.

7.4.1.1 Guiding Principles for the Phase of
Studies

The main role of the Hydrology, Meteorology and
Environmental Institute IDEAM is to encourage the communities to
define the areas that are in risk of flood, and then it has to
identify what are the most important parameters that have to be
taken in consideration In order to classify a land use district
in the area of interest.

As the land use district has to be defined by the local
authorities together with the IDEAM, is important to define the
following aspects:

• Topographical data

The topographical data has to be made IDEAM, the
Cor-Magdalena or the local entity responsible for flood
management. This data has to be actualised each five-year in
order to have a record of the changes in the river
morphology.

• Hydrological data

In order to define if the area has a flood risk it is
necessary to analyse the available hydrological data. The
institution in charge for this information and its analysis is
the IDEAM; it has to provide the existing data and the record of
information for at least 50 years.

In the same way the IDEAM has to analyse and provide the
critical flood level, water levels, the daily and monthly water
levels registered in the area that allows a complete analysis of
the information. In all the cases the IDEAM is responsible for
the hydrological data and for the collection of data.

• Lack in information

For the definition of the land use district it is
important to take into consideration those cases in which there
is a lack in the hydrological information. In that case it is
necessary to analyse the data upstream and downstream of the
area. In those cases the analysis has to be done with the nearest
stations, interpolation has to be made and the precipitation
amount has to be defined in the area using the available methods.
The analysis also has to consider the backwater due to
floods.

• Flood Map

In the case of an existing map of the vulnerable flood
areas it has to be actualised each-five years taking into account
not only the changes in the regimes due to climates variability
that can modify the level in the reach but also the bank erosion
that can be present in the bend of the river. In the case of bank
erosion the area of the land use district can be
change.

If the area or land use district is not within the
existing map, the IDEAM has to analyse the hydrological
information and the water level in the reach. Thus, the IDEAM has
to define the possible areas of risk, in this analysis the entity
has to take into account the actual topography area and the
bathymetry of the river.

• Flood Hazard Map

In those areas where there is a city or small town it is
important to define the flood hazard map, in order to define the
flood risk for the population with the purpose to update the
warning program correctly in case of flood.

This tool has to be implemented by the IDEAM and the
resulting information has to be communicated to the local
authorities. The accuracy of the information has to be a task for
IDEAM.

• Flood Defence Structures

The designs of Flood defence structures have to be made
by the contractor or IDEAM. However, the main parameters have to
be given by IDEAM and the local corporations. The design has to
take into account the following procedure and aspects in order to
have an integrated solution for the area and the communities
located downstream and upstream of the project.

• Existing structures in the area

The local authorities and the regional corporation have
to draw up an inventory of all the existing structures located at
least 5 km upstream and downstream of the reach of
concern.

In the inventory, it is necessary to describe the actual
state of the structure, the type of the structures, the
dimensions, the materials and the behavior of the river in the
area among others.

• Geographical and geological information

The area also has to be defined by means of the
morphology records that exist in the Agustin Codazi Geographic
Institute IGAC. This information is available in aero
photographical pictures of Magdalena’s River.

Geological data can be gather in the IGAC or made again
by the contractor in case of some mistakes in the existing ones.
With this information the contractor can define how the river and
its banks are behaving or predict its behaviour by the use of
hydrologic and hydraulic models. At the same time it is possible
to determine the characteristics of the new structure, like
dimensions, materials, foundation and location.

• Possible retention areas upstream:

Flood defence design has to take into account possible
retention areas. This assessment can influence the flood risk
downstream of the concerned area and can provide a reduction in
the cost of other structures.

• Existence of a tributary.

In the case of a tributary it is important to take into
account the hydrographs in the tributary and in the studied river
reach. This analysis can conclude the necessity to carry out a
project in the tributary instead of the main river.

• Modelling of the proposed structures

All the proposed structures have to be modelled in order
to observe the behaviour of the river due to the construction of
the structure.

The inputs of the model have to take into consideration
the critical situations of the river, which means the actual
situation (without project) and the situation with the
construction of the structure proposed.

• Environmental Impact Assessment

Every future structure that will be constructed in the
reach has an impact in the river and on the environment.
Therefore, it is necessary to carry out an Environmental Impact
Assessment EIA in the area.

In fact, with the EIA the negative and positive impacts
can be defined, and the local and regional authorities can act to
reduce the impact or in the contrary they can make good use of
it.

7.4.1.2 Guiding Principles for
the phase of Construction

The INCODER it is responsible for the construction of
the proposed structures; as a result is important to take into
account the recommendations given by the Environmental Impact
Assessment. On the other hand, the local and regional authorities
have to supervise the construction activities in order to avoid
any kind of impact that was not evaluated in the EIA.

The contractor and the local authorities have to analyse
the source of the material required for the
construction.

7.5 Flood
Management

7.5.1
Non-Structural

7.5.1.1 Public
Education

One of the most important tasks of the local authorities
is the public education. To accomplish this goal the local
authorities have to work with the DGAPD and the civil defense in
order to increase awareness of the people about the importance to
follow the programs and warnings given by the institutions. In
other to achieve this goal the civil defense and the local
authorities have to carry out an alarm program in the local
schools and a simulation programs in order to prepare the
inhabitants for flood events. Also, it is necessary to print out
some manuals with the basic information in which the people can
understand in an easy way what they have to do in case of
flood.

7.5.1.2 Flood
Organization

In order to implement the new approach to water
management, the various local authorities will have to take up
their responsibilities. Administrative agreements between the
national government, provincial authorities, water boards and
municipal authorities will be required for rapid
implementation.

Administrators must know who assumes responsibility for
what in order to ensure timely implementation.

The institutions are working independently, thus it is
necessary to coordinate all the branches around one institution.
In the case of flood risk this institution has to be the General
Direction for Attention and Prevention of Disasters that is the
national coordinator for the mitigation and prevention of flood
events. In this new scheme the DGAPD has to be the leader in this
area.

The following procedures have to be take into account in
all the emergency programs that will be carried out by the local
and regional entities

• Public official alerting. IDEAM and DGAPD

Local authority Civil Defense

Red Cross

• Flood emergency response plan activation

Local authority Civil Defense

• Staffing the emergency response operation
  Center

Local authority Civil Defense

• Emergency broadcast and warning system
  activation

Local authority Civil Defense

• Emergency instructions to the public

Civil Defense

• Emergency medical assistance activation

Red Cross

• Reception and care system activation

Local authority Civil Defense

• Shelter and evacuation plan activation

Local authority Civil Defense

• Search and rescue activation

Local authority Civil Defense

• Resource mobilization activation

Civil Defense

Red Cross

7.5.1.3 Floodplain
Regulations

In those cases in which the floodplain can be used for
other purposes according with the IDEAM recommendations, the
local authorities have to implement the regulations for the
district. In the same way, the people in charged of the land have
to take into account the maintenance of the flood defense
structures.

In the areas in which there is a city or small town the
regulations have to take into account the actual use and the risk
area defined within the flood hazard map. The local authorities
have to do a flood risk assessment, in order to know the
maintenance costs of the inhabitants in the area versus the
annual cost that is necessary to attend the emergency.

Eventually, the residence, the educational and
industrial sectors have to be moved to other areas or reduce the
inhabitants per square meter in order to reduce the risk of life
losses. As this is a challenge for the local authorities the
mobilization program has to be implemented for a long
term.

7.5.1.4 Property Acquisition
and Floodplain Mitigation

According to the policies, the land that is required for
the districts can be negotiated with the actual owner or in the
extreme case when the owner does not want to sell the land to the
local authority. This entity can take the land and declare it as
a general benefit area, which means no payment for the land,
because the general benefit is over the particular
benefit.

This is a useful tool, in the sense that the land that
will be necessary for the implementation of flood defense
structures should be a government property. This allows the state
to reduce the local losses and the amount of the affected people
in the area due to floods.

7.5.2 Structural Measures

The structural measures that can be done in the area
have to be defined according to the local river
conditions.

Some of the most common structures used in order to
prevent floods. See Table 7-2

Types of Structures for Flood Protection in
Magdalena’s River. Table 7-2

The design of the flood defence structures has to take
into account the following river aspects:

• Morphological changes over the river
• River bed scour due to the structure
• Possible effects due to the structure in the
  river
• Infrastructure structures (bridges, road etc.)
  upstream and downstream of the structure
  proposed.
• Inundation Water level in the reach
• Source of Materials in the area

7.6 Policies and Measures for Slum
Formation

In 1997 the national government created the National
System for and Integral Attention to Displaced People (SNAIPD) by
the law 387 of 1997, besides of designing a new economic and
political plan for managing the internal displacement due by the
armed conflict.

It is composed by 14 government ministries and other
public, private and community organizations covering various
areas such as agriculture, social security, health and education.
The Social Solidarity Network (RSS) created in 1999 manages the
SNAIPD, coordinates and oversees assistance to displaced people,
and those at risk of displacement, plans and delivers services to
officially registrated internal displaced people.

Despite this extensive legal and institutional framework
prevention of displacement is the weakest component of the
government response, it has taken inadequate measures to prevent
displacement and formation of slums in the river
floodplains.

7.6.1 Colombian NGOs

Displaced Colombians have organised themselves and
worked to assert their demands. In 2000 the internal displaced
people formed a national coordinating body to advocate for better
government assistance. Attacks on civil leaders society remain a
major obstacle to work of national NGOs, and hundreds of leaders
of displaced communities have been assassinated

Despite security risks local human right and
humanitarian agencies have been increasingly active in providing
the displaced people with legal advice, physiological support,
food and medical assistance.

Many NGOs in Colombia work to promote long term
solutions for internal displacement strengthening leadership,
capacity building, and integrating the displace people in host
communities.

The impact of NGOs however is limited by lack of funds,
attacks, lack of state support, and insufficient
coordination.

Despite an increasing number of assassinations of its
members, the Church, through the pastoral social, and the
Colombian Red Cross has
played a key role in assisting the displaced people. It provides
them with registration, food, medical aid and advocates for their
rights.

The new laws and policies related to slum formation in
floodplains practically do not exist because it is an emerging
problem but some indicators will be given in the way to tackle
this problem.

7.6.2 International Response

The international response has not been adequate for the
scale of the crisis. The UN
has sought to promote an interagency coordinated response to
internal displaced people with a first humanitarian plan of
action launched in November 2002. This budget with a budget of $
79.4 million dollars, however fell short of raising the expected
support.

A second plan was developed jointly by the UN members of
civil society and government of Colombia, amounting to around
$185 million for 2005

In spite of its dramatic scope, Colombian displacement
crisis remains largely forgotten and the international community
will need to show political will and more generous financial
backing to support the work of humanitarian and human rights
organizations working in the country.

7.6.3 Trends

It is important that the government and nongovernmental
organizations assume the slums as a people with all
rights

The government in collaboration with NGO’s and
stakeholders must strengthen and encourage actions with the
country, in order to develop the minimum basic sanitation
services for the slums, in Magdalena’s river basin, prepare
some areas for displaced emergencies in those towns where the
armed conflict is strong, in order to maintain people in good
conditions in safe places while combats are finished or while the
government takes control of the zones of war.

The national system for an integral attention to the
displaced people focuses in directing the changes of the new slum
formation in cities, towns, river floodplains and any free space
where humans can settle away from war conflict.

When a force displacement occurs, immediately the major
or governor of the town sends an emergency message to the main
office to the capital city
of Bogota, they just give the order to designate the amount of
resources necessary for solving the emergency, while the
displaced people are located temporary in the stadiums, schools
or fields of the town. In these conditions the ministry of social
security designates or makes a plan for future relocation or
sending them back to their own lands.

The situation goes out of their hands, when the conflict
in the area still persists and the resources diminish day by day
and the government stops supporting them, that is when they start
settling in the vicinities of the cities, towns and river
floodplains trying by themselves to guarantee their lives and
conditions they used to have before.

8.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

8.1
Conclusions

Flood effects over the population increases every year
with new dwellers coming from the rural part to the floodplain
areas than in the developed as a consequence of the displaced
people due to the violence and the poverty in Colombia that
cannot have other place to live and also because of the lack of
regulations and proper government plans for developing these
areas.

Slum formation increases every day in Magdalena’s
river flood plains as the power of conflict increases day by day,
measures, emergency plans local and international cooperation is
needed in order to tackle in an appropriate way and give good
solutions to the problems of slums.

In Colombia the flood areas are located in the
downstream Magdalena’s basin, however the highest
percentage of affected people is sited in the Magdalena’s
basin, where 70% of the country inhabitants are settled along the
watershed especially downstream where the economic region is more
developed.

The government tries return policies and measures for
people living in the slums and Magdalena’s floodplains,
without knowing the dynamic of the war, and the lack of real
guarantees for the slum dwellers. In the same way, the government
tries by solving the problem by a negotiated solution, but while
this is possible, they do not have responsibility with the slums
in river floodplains that are daily struggling for
survival.

The actual focus of the government facing the formation
of slums in the floodplains in Magdalena’s river has been
limited by the lack of money, ineffectual in preventing,
precarious in protection and attention of the affected
communities, and very late for executing actions to tackle the
problem.

8.2 Recommendations

In order to improve target 11 for the Millennium
Development Goals by the year 2020 several considerations must be
taken into account in Magdalena’s river basin

The new approach to water management policy requires an
effort at all administrative levels. A clear division of roles is
required to ensure effective co-operation. Bringing spatial
planning policy and water management policy closer together
reinforces the need for this. Administrators must know who
assumes responsibility for what in order to ensure timely
implementation.

Formulation of regional outlooks on water management and
implementation programmes combining the approach to safety and
water related problems with the approach to floods in
Magdalena’s river basin and slum formation in its
floodplains.

Designate and implement water retention areas and
emergency flooding areas for rainy seasons in Magdalena’s
downstream river basin.

Strengthen links between social ministries and flood
ministries in order to generate a plan together for flood risk
alarm prevention, slum attention and emergency plan of
contingency In case that flooding.

Searching for the achievement of target 11 national
government and local authorities should prepare shock absorbing
zones consisting of certain amount of area with proper facilities
and basic sanitation and a reasonable area for cultivating, in
those places where armed conflict is intensive, so that the new
settlers have almost the same conditions of their coming places
for a certain period of time.

In order to establish a master plan for flood management
and slum protection, in Magdalena’s river basin several
measures must be taking into account, such as linking the
institutions involved in flood management area like IDEAM, IGAC
to NGOs, the social ministry, the environment ministry and Social
Solidarity Network to establish emergency plans and alert
networks in case a flood occurrence or displaced movements;
besides of establishing the function and relation among those
institutions and what are the responsibilities of each
one.

Encourage awareness of flood risk in the slums by local
leaders, radio stations, churches messages, school advertising
and community training programs for evacuation.

In order to solve many uncertainties about the dynamic
of the river hydrologic analysis, hydraulic study should be made
over the dynamic behavior of the river using and calibrating
mathematical models that allow to know the evolution and modeling
protection facilities and protection against floods.

Maintain, actualise and manage every 4 years of
government the information related to changes in the river water
levels, bathymetry, characteristics of the river and floodplains
as well as the amount and condition of people living in the
slums.

9.0
REFERENCES

Final Report of the Inter-American Seminar-Workshop
Reduction of Vulnerability to Floods in River Basins. Foz do
Iguacu. Brasil November
29 1995

Colombian Floods. Situation Report No 1. November
2004

N. Douben, Flood Management Lectures notes, Unesco
–IHE, 2005

Cor-Magdalena, 2002, Partial Action Plan for the
Magdalena River Basin, Bogotá, Colombia.

This war is not ours and we are losing it. Codhes
–Sisdes November 2000

Combats and Displaced people in Colombia. MC NGO
October 1999.

Harold Hoyos Goez

AUGUST 2005