Water resources availability per capita in Colombia was 45,408 cubic meters in 2007, way above the world's average of 8,209 in the same year and is particularly prone to flooding and landslides.
Despite the developed legal and institutional framework for water resources management in Colombia, many challenges remain, including: (i) the consideration of water as an abundant resource affect the implementation of certain policies; (ii) fragmentation on water resources management responsibilities and lack of a consistent national strategy; (iii) some lack of coordination between the Environmental Ministry and the Regional Authorities; (iv) lack of capacities at the regional level; (v) governability challenges due to social and environmental issues such as deforestation, illegal crops, urban sprawl…etc.
[1] During the 20th Century, Colombian Government focused on increasing knowledge on natural resources as well as developing law and institutions to regulate their uses.
[1] For example, in 1952, the Government created the Division for Natural Resources, under the Environment Ministry, aimed at managing land, forestry and fisheries.
Key Characteristics of the Drainage Basins Source: FAO According to the Environment Ministry, groundwater resources have not been sufficiently documented in Colombia.
The gradual decrease in Colombia's water quality is due to the release of untreated effluents from agriculture, urban settlements and industries.
Most of the irrigated areas are located in the warm center, Magdalena and Cauca Valleys, and the northeast near Venezuela's border and along the Caribbean coast.
A 2001 law designed to promote alternative energies lacks certain key provisions to achieve this objective, such as feed-in tariffs, and has had little impact so far.
The Ministry formulates water resources management policies and regulations including pollution standards and charge fees.
Amongst its duties is establishing fine rates, regulating pollution standards, and developing guidelines to review environmental license requests.
[4] The Corporaciones Autónomas Regionales (CARs) are the institutions in charge of implementing national policies and regulations as well as managing natural resources and promote sustainable development within their boundaries.
[5] The Instituto de Hidrologia, Meteorologia, y Estudios Ambientales (IDEAM) operates the national hydrological and meteorological network.
The guide was published in 2004 and IDEAM together with the Environment Ministry is in the process of creating a second part which will monitor the implementation of WRM in pilot river basins.
Because CARs relies on the standards instituted by MADs, IDEAM, and INVEMAR are vital in maintaining Colombia’s water management.
In 2002, Colombian government issued the Decree 1729 aimed at establishing water resource management at the river basin level including a timeframe and financial resources available for the elaboration of Watershed Ordering Plans (Planes Integrales de Ordenamiento y Manejo de Microcuencas – PIOM).
[5] Erosion is a natural phenomenon which can be aggravated by manmade situations increasing risks produced by landslides, flood, avalanches, mudfloods, etc..
Hydrological temperature changes would result in a loss of biodiversity and the services attached to those such as water supply, basin regulation and hydropower.
Sea level increases will likely cause saline intrusion into aquifer-based freshwater supplies in insular and coastal areas.
For example, in San Andres Island, the first National Communications estimated a loss of 17% of land area, including most of the coastal zone by 2060 (50 cm increase in sea level).
In June 2008, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a loan for US$100,000 for a project “Biodiversity and Climate Change: mainstreaming biodiversity conservation through avoided deforestation in the Andean-Amazon piedmont of Colombia.” The project aims at developing methodologies and supporting pilot demonstrations on how to reliably measure carbon stored in standing forests.
It too will be working to review the guidelines for comprehensive water resources management policy and adjust what is necessary to obtain the objectives set forth by the national development plan.