BOGOTÁ RIVER: BETWEEN SEWER AND ECOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE

In the city of Bogotá, the network of drinking water sources is divided into three independent systems. First, the Northern System is constituted by the Tominé, Sisga, and Neusa reservoirs. Second, the Chingaza System is made up of the Chuza and San Rafael reservoirs. Finally, the Southern System is composed of the Tunjos, Chisacá, and La Regadera reservoirs. Furthermore, the government of Bogotá stated about the distribution of the reservoir supply system:

Of the 100% supply of the city and surrounding municipalities, the Northern System provides 25%, Chingaza System provides 70%, and Southern System 5%.

According to the government of Bogotá, on April 10, the level of the Chingaza System was 16.63%, and according to the manager of the Aqueduct and Sewer, Natasha Avendaño, the levels in the main water supplies of the city are so low that they could be exhausted this year if action is not taken.

We are in a critical state, in case it does not rain at all, we have less than 60 days (of water capacity) in the Chingaza system.

With the arrival of the water crisis, rationing proposals materialized, so on April 8, 2024, the Bogotá mayor's office announced a water-saving measure, implemented on the 11th of the same month. Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan in conjunction with the Bogotá water and sewage company proposed saving 2m³ of water, equivalent to 11% of the city's total consumption, through sectorized rationing. A measure that seeks to reduce daily consumption to 15 cubic meters per second in the city. In addition, the mayor's office proposes the following recommendations to support water care measures:

1. Shower in no more than 5 minutes.  2. Use the washing machine with a full load. 3. Turn off the faucet when you brush or shave. 4. Check that the gaskets on faucets, showers, and pipes do not present leaks. 5. Do not wash your car with jets of water, it is better to use the water in a bucket. 6. Remember to clean the storage tanks at least twice a year to preserve the water quality in your home.

After almost a month of water rationing, the newspaper El Tiempo, one of the most influential in the country, commented:

As for the Chingaza system, after two and a half weeks of rain in the center of the country, on May 9 the 20 percent supply barrier was exceeded. On holiday Monday, May 13, the two objectives set by the Mayor's Office of Bogotá were met for the first time: that the Chingaza system exceeds 20 percent supply and water consumption is below 15 cubic meters per second

The Bogotá River flows in Colombia's capital city, Bogotá DC. This water body has developed itself along with the city. Even, before the city was founded, the Bogotá River had a huge relevance from ecological and cultural point of view. For the Pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Muiscas, who occupied the territory of (nowadays) Bogotá, water was an important pillar of their worldview. For example, the place where the legend of El Dorado was born, the lagoon of Guatavita, was the place of hundreds of this culture's rituals. Bogotá river had a huge cultural importance for the Muiscas.

Nevertheless, Bogotá river doesn't have only a considerable cultural value, it also has an immense ecological worth. More than 500 different species, some of them endemic (specific of that area) show that, despite pollution, life can flourish in this river and it is not a "sewerage" or an "aquatic dump". Birds and mammals, plants and microorganisms can live in harmony in our water. Apparently only homo sapiens is unable to co-exist with the rest of living beings in the backyard of Bogotá.

The felling of trees, illegal water collections, the deposit of domestic and industrial waste that reaches the Bogotá River, the disposal of garbage, industrial waste with heavy metals, and the lack of interest in efficiently and responsibly managing the river waters, They make it a benchmark for dirt and pollution worldwide.

As the map shows, the river is born in the Páramo of Guacheneque, in the municipality of Villapinzón, goes trough the west limit of Bogotá and flows into the Magdalena river Concretely, the river has three parts: upper, middle and lower basin. Upper basin goes from the municipality of Villapinzón to, approximately, Chía. Middle basin starts in Chía and finishes in Soacha (This basin goes along the west limit of Bogotá). And, finally, goes through Tocaima and, ends in Girardot. Here, Bogotá river flows into the Magdalena river, which runs towards the Caribbean sea.

The middle basin is next to Colombia's biggest city. In this zone, other rivers, such as the Arzobispo, Fucha, and Tunjuelito flow into the Bogotá River. Arzobispo, Fucha, and Tunjuelito are rivers that go across Bogotá and, therefore, have a lot of pollution, shown by their smell, color, and dirt. The next map shows these rivers and where they run into the Bogotá River. Since these rivers (and the Bogotá River itself) are exposed to high levels of pollution, the middle basin has a lot of pollution. But how much? We will see it in the next chapter.

It is not a problem of the water only. Even more, this problem is not just an ecological problem. This is a multidimensional problem that, therefore, requires comprehensive solutions. Health problems are caused by pollution, indifference to the care of the river, industrial sectors that neglect the environment, irresponsible production and careless consumption in the city, and living beings affected by human activities on the river. These are some of the other aspects of the problem behind the water issue.

Some branches of the Bogotá river flow into reservoirs, such as the Tominé and the Sisga reservoirs. A few kilometers after starting in Villapinzón, the river forks and, one stream ends in the Sisga reservoir. Although this occurs in the north, before the middle basin, the river shows signs of pollution, probably because of some tanneries.

Regarding the Tominé reservoir, the same happens, showing that the water issue in Bogotá is a complex challenge and everything is interrelated. Achieving SDG 6 in Colombia, in Bogotá, represents fighting against different water-related problems. Pollution, scarcity, and accessibility, among others, are problematics which have to be solved if Colombia wants to accomplish the sixth SDG.

Historically, humanity has followed the model of Unlimited exploitation, prioritizing the economics, and being careless with the environment. Nevertheless, there are other models of development, such as Extreme conservationism (Prioritizing the environment and being careless with the economic dimension) and Sustainable development (SD). This model refers to, in the words of the Brundtland Report, "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Brundtland Commission, 1983). To achieve this goal, Sustainable development has three axes: Economic, social, and environmental, and all of them have the same relevancy. Nowadays, this model is essential for making policies and taking action. Anticipating a little, this is the model from which we will start to develop the solutions that we will propose to the problem.

According to the UN in 2015, SDG 6 consists of making available and sustainable the management of water and sanitation for all humankind. As the image shows, access to drinking water, an essential element for the development of life, is very unequal across the globe. Nobody can live without this compound; unfortunately, millions of humans have insufficient water daily. Although drinking water is essential to us, it is also indispensable to all ecosystems, species, and living beings. It is vital to Gaia itself.

To make the SD a reality, the SDGs emerged. Adopted by the UN in 2015, the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) are seventeen purposes, related to the three dimensions of Sustainable Development: economic, social, and environmental. Some SDGs are: No poverty (1), Good health (3), Life on land (15), and Cclean water and sanitation (6). The behavior of SDG 6 in Bogotá and Colombia is unique, and it will be essential to our project.

SDG 6 has six targets (UN. (2023). SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation):

6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all (UN, 2023).

6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and those in vulnerable situations (UN, 2023).

6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally (UN, 2023).

6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity (UN, 2023).

6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate (UN, 2023).

6.6 By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers, and lakes (UN, 2023).

Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is the most basic human need for health and well-being. Billions of people will lack access to these basic services in 2030 unless progress quadruples

But what can we do? For now, there are some general strategies to approach the water-related problems. Some of them are:

1. Use the water efficiently Apply the four R's to the Water: Reduce the water consumption, reuse the "second hand" water, recycle the water, and recover the water we use, making it drinkable and useful.
2. Separate drinking water from wastewater (Brookes & Carey, 2015). Related to the third SDG (Health), separating these types of water is a synonym for gaining equality in drinkable water access. This can be done by improving water treatment facilities all over the world.
3. Regulate water consumption in big cities Despite it seems as an unlimited resource, water in big cities can also become scarce. As we will see soon, this was Bogotá's case a few months ago.
4. Restore aquatic ecosystems One of the biggest problems related to water bodies is the heavy pollution they have, represented by the big plastic islands in the Earth's oceans.
5. Protect the water sources Strengthening laws and policies. It could be easier to protect water bodies, also considering the other two components of Sustainable Development (Economic and social)
6. Revert pollution in our water bodies The river Bogotá, for example, has a huge amount of all kinds of garbage everywhere. To achieve a healthier environment, it is important to recover these water bodies, just like the Bogotá river.

As we will see, Bogotá is a special case in water-related problems. To achieve the sixth SDG in Colombia's capital is a huge challenge. Scarcity, unequal access, lack of awareness, inefficient policies, and pollution have been some of the features of the water phenomenon in Bogotá.

The Bogotá River is recognized for being neglected and contaminated. A long time ago, people used to swim inside it, and they might even find lifeforms like little fishes. Now it is dangerous, the fact of trying to get inside. With the passing of time and the development of industries, the Bogotá River has almost become like sewerage, where it is easy to find plastic pollution, eutrophication processes, and even, people drinking the water in the worst conditions.

In Colombia, to measure water quality, authorities use the ICA (Water Quality Index for its Spanish acronym), a numerical value between 0 and 1 that qualifies the water quality based on 7 variables. 1) Dissolved oxygen, 2) Total suspended solids, 3) Chemical oxygen demand, 4) Electrical conductivity, 5) pH of the water bodies, 6) Presence of nitrogen and phosphorus, and 7) Pathogens derived from human action. An ICA score between 0,00 and 0,25 is very worrying, between 0,26 and 0,50 is worrying, between 0,51 and 0,70 is regular, between 0,71 and 0,90 is acceptable, and between 0,91 and 1 is good. In the next table, we can see the worst values of ICA in the Bogotá River, their watercourse, water quality, and location's name.

An alarming fact is that according to data presented by the CAR (Regional Autonomous Corporations and Sustainable Development in Colombia, CAR by their Spanish acronym), the average ICA score is always in the Worrying group, between 0,26 and 0,50. At least we can say that the water quality has improved with time. For example, in 2022 some points of the river had a water quality very worrying with an ICA of 0,22 or 0,24. Today, the ICA of those places is around 0,36 or 0,32, better but not good.

In the map we can observe how in the south of the city there are 8 of the 10 places with the worst ICA values, this could have two principal causes associated. First, the logic theory is that as the river current goes north to south, you could probably find the pollution collected by the river in all its travel when you go to a point further south, cause all the pollution is accumulated. The second hypothesis is related to the social environment and the inequality present between the north and south of the city. In the south of Bogotá, especially in peripheral places such as Soacha or Ciudad Bolivar, extreme poverty and lack of access to opportunities are evident in several homes. Water pollution can be seen due to a possible lack of sufficient investment by the government. These two explanations could be essential to understand, why there are 8 of the 10 places with the worst ICA in the southern part of the river.

Eutrophication of bodies of water is the process in which in a river, lake, or aquatic ecosystem, due to excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), microorganisms multiply uncontrollably. This effect causes the microorganisms to consume all the oxygen dissolved in the water, causing other aquatic species such as fish to die because they have a low level of oxygen to breathe. When a water body is eutrophic, it can be identified by having a green layer on its surface, and the lack of a constant flow of water. In the Bogotá River, there are many places where eutrophication is the condition of every day, although it is called a river, due to the pollution it is unusual to see a fish, no matter how small it may be. The border between a sewerage and a river in Bogotá is diffuse.

The pollution of the river doesn't come without a price for other communities and people living near it. From an unbearable smell to contaminated water sources, local ranchers, farmers, and vendors suffer the consequences of a highly contaminated river.

Some of them have important connections to this water body. Some families have been connected to the river for generations and still remember when biodiversity shined and life flourished in the vicinity of the river, they can only remember the river some decades ago. Vidal González, the guardian of the Páramo of Guacheneque, remembers the worldview of the river in the past century, exposing that humans and river can coexist:

It was a very beautiful time, the Funza (name in the Muisca's language of the Bogotá river) united all the inhabitants but without causing any harm

Furthermore, even in something as basic as food, pollution has effects. When flowing into the Magdalena River, fishing becomes a useless task. Bernardo Álvarez, who lives in the intersection of the Bogotá and Magdalena rivers, says:

[Regarding the fish...] it turns black and becomes contaminated. Sometimes they take it to be cooked, and it gives off a smell like petroleum, like gasoline. You can taste it, smell it

From being surrounded by myths, legends, rituals, and respect, to being surrounded by plastics, heavy metals, and eutrophication. Sadly, this is the story of this water body in Bogotá's backyard. Bogotá River is one of the thousands of rivers in Colombia. Our river is a particular case that represents a huge difficulty, exposed in this quote:

Between 11.8 and 19 million people are exposed to very high risks due to poor water quality in Colombia

This is an alarming figure, meaning that from a third to a quarter of the Colombian population is exposed to this type of water. Behind these enormous numbers, there is a huge amount of people, of faces, of children, men and women, just like you and me.

For many cultures and people, water is life. Following this, being exposed to poor water quality is a synonym of being exposed to poor life quality. It can be in the Bogotá River, in the Magdalena River, in informal urbanization in Bogotá, or a small town, wherever, whenever, pollution represents a vast difficulty for people and, of course, fauna and flora.

In turn, this also represents a global problem. Just some years ago, in 2020, 2 billion people, a quarter of the world, lacked safely managed drinking water services. That's a 2, followed by nine zeros, of human beings exposed to poor water quality and, a poor life quality.

Despite, the Bogotá River touches the city in the middle basin, the pollution starts in the upper basin. Since the urban zone of the municipality of Villapinzón, the tanneries are polluting the Bogotá River. According to a prestigious newspaper, Señal Colombia, tanneries are the main source of pollution in the upper basin.

Nevertheless, considering the river as a whole, tanneries are an insignificant source of pollution. According to the foundation Manos verdes, 90% of the river's pollution comes from Bogotá DC, the urban area (Manos verdes, n.d.). The pollution is delivered to the Bogotá River from the Arzobispo, Fucha, and Tunjuelito Rivers.

What causes river pollution? Industrial discharges from the tanneries of Villapinzón, Cundinamarca, located 5 kilometers from the source. The lack of optimization of some treatment plants in the municipalities of the basin. Industries, extractive mining, and debris. The three discharges from Bogotá that affect the river, leaving it anoxic and lifeless are Arzobispo, Fucha, and Tunjuelito

Despite the existence of some policies made to protect the river, other laws and regulations allow mining near the river. This, of course, has negative effects on the water bodies. As Harold Villamil, master in Regional Urban Planning from the UNAL said:

When a mining exploitation process begins near a watershed, ecological and ecosystemic relationships are interrupted. In addition, a series of emissions and discharges are generated that will most likely affect the Bogotá River basin

Villamil also said, there is an inconsistency between the policies to decontaminate the river and the permissions for mining near the basins. To recover our river, it is essential to be coherent with the policies.

This reflects that the city, the Fucha, Arzobispo, and Tunjuelito rivers pollute the Bogotá River. Now, the question we have to ask is: How do these rivers get contaminated? According to the government, illegal dumping from residential and industrial sectors is the main cause of all the pollution in the three rivers. Two types of dumping are affecting badly the water's quality:

• Wrong connections that attach wastewater from domestic or industrial places and the stormwater sewer. These connections result in considerable pollution in water bodies.

• Arzobispo, Fucha, and Tunjuelito rivers are exposed directly to the city, they are integrated into it. For example, as the image shows, there is a stage of the Arzobispo river in the middle of Bogotá's main highway. Therefore, they are exhibited, throughout their entire journey, to dumping made by citizens of the Colombian capital.

These images are evidence that the Arzobispo River works as sewage for the city. And, once it flows into the Bogotá River, pollution completely transforms the water from the upper basin. Then, dumping derives in all types of garbage in the "blue side of Bogotá".

The relation of the Bogotá River and the economic dimension is bidirectional. Industry and mining affect the river's quality, but how does the river influence the industry? First, Bogotá River's watershed (Hydrographic basin) contributes to economic activities that represent 32% of Colombia's GDP (CAR, 2018). To give you an idea, 32% of the Colombian GDP represents 0.12% of the global GDP. It doesn't seem like a huge number, but considering all the industries, and all countries, 0.12% represents a huge amount of processes, activities, and most importantly, people involved.

Common people, not as much as big enterprises, also have a huge responsibility when discussing Gaia's calamities. The garbage we threw away some time ago is now in the middle of the ocean. The energy we have used was there, probably, thanks to the emission of greenhouse gases.

We can't limit ourselves to a passive role. That's why we propose some actions we all can do.

We invite the reader to answer these questions, in order to reflect about her/his daily behavior and how it affects the environment:

• How much water do you spend daily? Do you need that amount of water?
• Do you waste electrical energy?
• What kind of transportation you use? Is this an eco-friendly way of moving?
• How many clothes do you have? How many of these you use?
• Do you know which products you consume and, what is their ecological impact?

To take care of the biosphere and to avoid pollution, we should consume responsibly and throw away little. Making products usually comes with greenhouse gas emissions, and throwing them away probably means more pollution.

We consider that consuming according to our needs is very important and then, turning waste into a useful product means consuming less and throwing away less. This is recycling. Containers, cardboard, and packaging can be recycled.

Reusing also decreases our environmental footprint, just as recycling does. If reusing or recycling doesn't work, reducing is something we must do. Reducing the materials we consume helps the whole biosphere. Responsible consumption is less harmful to the environment. Energy, water, and gas can be saved and their consumption, reduced.

The last R of the four Rs is recovered. It is human's responsibility to recuperate the ecosystems we have harmed. Thousands of trees, birds, and mammals in a forest were replaced by buildings and cement. Reforesting native species, and supporting ecological initiatives, there are many ways of recovering the world we have lost. Traduced in mass extinction and loss of habitat, it is evident that humans act like a virus of Gaia.

Another thing we recommend is to raise awareness among others, especially youth, about the pollution, the waste we produce, and the culture of excessive consumption we are in.

A final step is to be conscious and empathic with people and nature. By understanding the issues and taking action, we could repair the damage we have done to our house and the Earth. We have a historic debt to the environment. Luckily, many laws and projects are being made to decontaminate the Bogotá river and even, the mayor's office says it will be clear in 2025. Sadly, this isn't the case for water bodies in Colombia, and worldwide. We invite you to be informed about the impacts we've had on the environment and take action. Gaia will thank you.

We won't have a society if we destroy the environment.

Our families, our teachers from the Eco Ambassadors summer lab, the natural sciences area of ​​the Alberto Merani Institute, especially Iván Escobar and Laura de Zubiría.