Puerto Wilches population on alert for breakage of a dam

Since November 5, 2021, environmental organizations from the Magdalena Medio region have expressed to President Iván Duque the need to urgently and prioritize the start of erosion and flood protection works in the southern sector of the town of Puerto Wilches.

In this municipality of Santander heavy rains are constant, which puts the population at risk in connection with a natural tragedy due to the breaking of a wall containing the waters of the Magdalena River.

And the warnings sent by the environmental organizations of Puerto Wilches and El Magdalena Medio through a letter signed by 19 congressmen, five deputies from Santander and one councillor, are beginning to take shape. Well, on the afternoon of this Tuesday, April 5, inhabitants of the area denounced the breaking of the dam and the flooding in the sector known as Vuelta Perico, in Puerto Wilches.

“This is the situation today in the Vuelta Perico sector, in Puerto Wilches, Santander. The waters of the Magdalena River undermined one of the barriers of a dam and flooded palm crops,” said one user on social media when documenting the overflow.

This was also alerted by the mayor of the town, Jairo Toquica, who told the program Alerta Santanderes on RCN Radio that, “The wall has been falling apart and measures 2 kilometers. It is used to communicate the rural and urban areas by land. With its breaking, two serious situations would arise: the first, the flooding of the municipality, and second, the impact on a large region where oil palm is produced,” he said in an interview on July 22, 2021.

It is pertinent to note that the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), through document filed 2021EE06195, issued a concept of technical feasibility of the project entitled: “Rehabilitation and reconstruction of erosion and flood protection works in the southern part of the urban area of the municipality of Puerto Wilches”.

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The above-mentioned document states that the project documentation was verified and it was found that it is technically well formulated and complies with the methodology for submitting projects to the National Fund for Risk Management (FNGRD). “Therefore, in order to start the works in Puerto Wilches, it is necessary that the allocation of resources by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit be carried out immediately and without delay,” says the warning document sent to President Duque.

Five months after the request of environmental organizations, the beginnings of the prevention work would not have started and the consequences could begin to be seen. According to the commander of the Puerto Wilches Police, “we are on high alert. The authorities are still working to avoid a disaster. If the dam continues to break, in a few hours we will have water in the urban area.” For now, it is stipulated that the population at risk is 40 thousand people.

Before concluding the letter, environmentalists told the president that “promoting the development of the regions requires the execution of investment projects that do not sacrifice the environmental wealth of the territories, respond to the requests of communities and carry out actions to mitigate the disasters that they can see. exposed by the serious effects of the increase in the flow of the Magdalena River in the face of the winter wave in various areas of the country”, they concluded.

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