Mocoa - An Act of God or of Man?

The Mocoa tragedy was made worse by deforestation in the region and human-driven climate change.

When torrential rains pushed tons of mud over the town of Mocoa, in Putumayo Department, killing more than 300 people at the end of March, many condemned the 'natural disaster.'

Rescue workers in Mocoa this month.

However, the disaster's iimpact was made much worse by human actions which prepared the way. Colombia is suffering an accelerating deforestation. And the region surrounding Mocoa had been severely deforested during recent decades, reducing the soil's capacity to soak up rainwater. When rain falls onto deforested soil, it runs off quickly, carrying soil, trees and rocks with it. Forests can also serve as protective barriers. In fact, in El Carmen, the one Mocoa neighborhood which escaped destruction, residents had preserved their protective forest.

More broadly, The New York Times reports that more frequent natural disasters in places such as Colombia and Peru appear to be tied to human-driven global warming.

Before rushing to condemn the vagaries of nature, Colombians should also reflect upon their own actions.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

A Warning Shake

Office workers on an unscheduled break today along Ave. Jimenez.

Bogotá's office workers received an unscheduled break this afternoon when an earthquake centered on Santander, near the Venezuelan border, was felt in Bogotá. There were no reports of injuries or serious damage in Bogotá, altho some towns in Santander reported widespread structural damage.

The mild quake served notice that, altho earthquakes are rare here, they do happen, and can be powerful. Bogotá is built on a wetland, and the next powerful quake which hits here will inform us about the structural integrity of its high-rises.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Bottled Water for La Guajira?

A Wayuu woman from La Guajira stands in front of thousands of water containers collected today in Bogotá's Parque Nacional.

Amongst the possible ways to provide water to the drought-stricken La Guajira, on the border with Venezuela, about the least efficient is collecting bottles one-by-one in Bogota and flying them half-way across the country to La Guajira.

However, that is what Bogotanos are doing by delivering bottles, jugs and bags of water to the Parque

A poster calls for Bogotanos to contribute
a liter of water for La Guajira.

Nacional. It's a nice gesture. But the most cost-effective way to handle these gifts would probably be to sell the water here in Bogotá and contribute the money to hiring a water truck in La Guajira.

Drought has struck not only La Guajira, but much of Colombia's Caribbean coast. And experts expect the situation to worsen if the El Niño phenomenon arrives as expected. Government officials, including Pres. Santos, have called on Colombians to conserve water. But that won't have much effect. Measures which would make a difference include installing low-flow shower heads and toilet tanks and imposing fines on water wasters.

More than a dozen children in La Guajira have already been killed by the drought, according to news sources. Some say the drought conditions have been worsened by cattle grazing and oil production.

A victim of the drought. (Photo: RCN radio)

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours