Due to rains, emergencies are reported in eleven departments of Colombia

The rainy season, which is expected to last until the end of May, has already caused different emergencies due to landslides and collapses, both in precarious residential areas and on some roads. According to the Ministry of Transport, at least 11 departments already have road emergencies due to precipitation.

The authorities have already activated the technical and operational systems to deal with any possible emergencies that may arise and to speed up work in areas where obstructions are already occurring, as announced by INVIAS.

” Personnel and machinery such as backhoe loaders, loaders and dump trucks have been provided. Throughout the country, we have 3,600 microentrepreneurs or collaborators, including engineers, technicians and operators, who are present on the roads in charge of the entity, ready to attend to any emergency event and facilitate road mobility,” said the technical and structuring director of INVÍAS, Guillermo Toro Acuna.

According to the Ministry of Transport, there have been 415 emergencies associated with rains so far this year, of which 175 have caused total road closures and in 196 cases partial closures. In the last period, there have been 20 small landslides on roads and 11 damage or loss of banking.

In total, 11 departments are the most affected: Santander, Boyacá, Risaralda, Huila, Meta, Norte de Santander, Caldas, Cauca, Nariño, Tolima and Caquetá. The main situations of care are presented in five of them:

Boyacá: the road leading from Dos y Medio - Otanche is partially closed by landslides at kilometers 11, 52, 55, 83, 86 and 89. In addition, partial closures are presented in the Chiquinquirá - Tunja, Belén - Sácama and Otanche - Chiquinquirá road corridors.

Santander: On the Santa Rosita - Onzaga highway there is a total slip closure at kilometer 12. Total closure was ordered in the Los Curos - Malaga corridor, due to the loss of the bank at kilometers 88 and 87, due to the growing El Canelo stream, which has led INVÍAS personnel to remove the rocky material and mud on the road. On the other hand, there is a partial closure in the Onzaga - Soatá road corridor due to the overflow of the ravine.

Risaralda: There are partial slide closures at kilometers 11, 12 and 36 of the Santa Cecilia - Asia road. Partial closure of the Santa Cecilia - Mumbu and Apia - La Virginia roads is presented.

Huila: Partial closures occur on the Balsillas roads - Santo Domingo, La Plata - Valencia, Altamira - Gabinete, Orrapihuasi - Depression El Vergel - Florence, Puerto Nolasco - Nataga, Paicol - Tesalia - Uruel and a loss of banking on the Pipiripal-Villavicencio road.

Nariño: Partial closures are recorded due to landslides on the Pasto - Mojarras, Galeras ring road, Tuquerres - Samaniego, Pasto - Higuerones, Pasto - La Piscicultura and Junín - Pedregal.

The department of Nariño has been one of the most affected by winter in recent months, with collapses of several slopes and the blockage of roads.

The Ministry of Transport also announced that in the department of Caldas there is partial closure of the bridge on the La Libertad - Fresno highway. In the case of Norte de Santander, there is a loss of banking and partial closure on the Ocañá - Sardinata highway, and in Cauca, the La Vega - San Sebastián road corridor is partially closed.

In Antioquia, for example, the Mayor's Office of the municipality of Caldas declared public calamity after the collapses caused in the municipality by the heavy rains of recent years days, which have left one person injured and more than 300 victims belonging to 50 families.

In the case of the district of San José de Apartadó, which is part of the municipality of Apartadó and is located in the Urabá region of Antioquia, at least twelve of its 32 villages are incommunicado by damage to the tracks.

According to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), with a cut-off date of April 3, 149 events have been registered in the national territory in 101 municipalities in 15 departments, with Cundinamarca, Cauca, Antioquia, Huila, Nariño and the Coffee Region being the most affected. The events have harmed 2,365 families representing more than 5,500 people, leaving 10 dead and 14 injured. Likewise, 22 houses have been destroyed and another 736 homes have been affected.

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