BOGOTÁ RIVER: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, ROUTE, TRIBUTARIES, FLORA - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The Bogotá River is a fluvial artery located in Colombia, in the north of South America. It is the main stream of the homonymous basin located in the department of Cundinamarca.

It runs approximately 308 km from its source in the Villapinzón municipality to its mouth in the Girardot municipality, draining an area of ​​5,886 km² corresponding to 45 municipalities, including the Capital District of Colombia.

The Bogotá travels 308 km over the exclusive territory of the department of Cundinamarca. Photo: Petruss

In 2014, it was estimated that 9,631,301 inhabitants inhabited the Bogotá river basin, of which 80% are concentrated in the Capital District. It has a critical state of conservation and its recovery is a pending task for regional legislators and the national government.

History

Pre-Hispanic peoples used the river as a pantry and a means of communication for their exchanges. Archaeological evidence confirms that all indigenous populations located their settlements on the banks of the Bogotá River and its tributaries.

With the arrival of the Spaniards, the river ceased to be a communication channel because it was not suitable for river navigation with European vessels. However, it adopted new functions: it became a cultural reference and a place of recreation and leisure.

Starting in the 16th century, the government of the colony began the modernization of the cities with the construction of sewers to improve the disposal of sewage and bridges to connect agricultural areas with the capital.

The first bridges built over the Bogotá River were made of wood and required replacement every 6 or 8 years. The first masonry bridge was built in 1665 in Fontibón, a town in the Capital District.

In 1805, the famous naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt set about exploring the upper basin of the Bogotá River, documenting the discoveries of his journey. As a result of his observation, he discovered a small catfish that he named Eremophilus mutisii, better known as the captain of the savannah fish. It is currently recognized as an endemic species of the Bogotá basin.

Beginning in 1900, a population explosion began that led to the disorderly growth of cities. With this, works were carried out to redirect the natural channel of Bogotá to take advantage of the land reclaimed from the river for urbanization.

The growth of cities, the agricultural and industrial development on the banks of the Bogotá River and the irresponsible disposal of wastewater, initiated a process of contamination that has currently had a high environmental cost.

General characteristics

From the pre-Hispanic period until today, the Bogotá River has undergone important transformations on its banks.

Strategic value

This river artery houses 26% of the economic activities that generate income and supplies for national consumption on its banks. Among them are agricultural, industrial and livestock activities.

The Bogotá riverbed is the main source of surface water in the Bogotá savanna and the convenient reservoir for the residual discharges of more than 9 million people who live around its basin.

Despite not being navigable or having a particularly important channel, it has become a symbol in Colombia. It represents the serious consequences of neglect, the omission of administrative responsibilities and the advances that are possible with the joint work of regional governments and private companies.

Contamination

The uncontrolled growth of cities and the development of economic activities of a different nature, together with development policies that did not take into account the protection of natural resources, have placed the Bogotá River on an undesirable list: that of the most polluted rivers in the world. world. The contamination of the Bogotá basin has endangered the integrity of the ecosystems it supports.

There are multiple factors that have affected water quality: first, the discharge of urban wastewater - sometimes without treatment or with insufficient treatment.

Second, the invasion of floodplains for urbanization and the construction of industries, without taking into account the impact it causes on the balance of ecosystems.

Finally, another determining factor is the permissiveness of regional governments in the face of deforestation, illegal mining, and the deposit of solid urban and industrial waste on the river banks.

All this has caused a significant deterioration in the natural purification capacity of the Bogotá riverbed, generating a dead torrent due to the loss of oxygen from its waters, which makes the subsistence of plant and animal life impossible. Likewise, in these conditions the water is not suitable for agricultural or urban use.

Protection and recovery actions

In 2014, the Supreme Court in administrative matters of Colombia issued a historic verdict, in which it obliges 70 public and private entities to take actions to recover the water quality of the Bogotá River and subsequently protect the water resource.

The actions include the expansion and improvements to the only Salitre Wastewater Treatment Plant (PTAR) located in Bogotá, the construction of a second WWTP in the Soacha municipality, as well as awareness campaigns and environmental education aimed at the population.

Birth, route and mouth

The Bogotá river is born in the Colombian municipality of Villapinzón, in the Páramo de Guachaneque, specifically in the Laguna del Valle at 3,200 meters above sea level. It empties into the Magdalena River, located in the Girardot municipality at 260 meters above sea level.

It travels approximately 308 km over the exclusive territory of the department of Cundinamarca, touching 45 municipalities and the Capital District of Colombia with its waters. For its study, its channel is divided into three parts or sections: upper, middle and lower basin.

Upper basin

It ranges from its source in the Páramo de Guachaneque, municipality of Villapinzón, to the Puente la Virgen hydrometeorological station, in the municipality of Chía. This section has a length of 170 km.

Bogotá runs through the municipalities Villapinzón, Chocontá, Suesca, Gachancipá, Tocancipá, Zipaquirá, Cajicá, Sopó and Chía.

Middle basin

It has a length of 90 km. It occupies the section that is located between the Puente la Virgen hydrometeorological station in the Chía municipality to the Muña Reservoir, specifically at a point marked by the Alicachín floodgates, in the municipality of Sibaté.

This section runs through the municipalities of Chía, Cota, Funza, Mosquera, the Capital District, Soacha and Sibaté.

Low basin

This section is 120 km long. It ranges from the Alicachín floodgates to its mouth in the Magdalena River, in the municipality of Girardot.

Across this area of ​​the river are the municipalities Sibaté, San Antonio, Tena, La Mesa, Anapoima, Apulo, Tocaima, Agua de Dios, Ricaute and Girardot.

Main cities that travels

In 2014 the number of inhabitants in the basin was 9,631,301 inhabitants, of which 95% belong to the Metropolitan Region. The remaining 5% are distributed between the upper and lower basins.

The most important city in the upper basin is Chía, located 10 km north of Bogotá. In 2014 it had 123,673 inhabitants. In second place is Zipaquirá with 120,312 inhabitants.

In the middle basin the importance of Bogotá is indisputable. In 2014, the capital of the country had 7,776,845 inhabitants. This city gathers 80% of the population of the basin. In second place is Soacha with 500,097 inhabitants.

In the lower basin the most important city is Girardot, which in 2014 had 104,476 inhabitants. The rest of the cities in the lower basin do not exceed 50,000 inhabitants.

Tributaries

The Bogotá River is located in the department of Cundinamarca and collects runoff from streams and rivers in the central region of the country and those that come from the eastern mountain range.

From its source to its mouth, it receives the contribution of the Neusa, Teusacá, Negro, Frío, Soacha, Balsillas, Apulo, Calandaima, Chicú and Tunjuelito rivers.

Flora

The headwaters of the Bogotá River are 3,200 meters above sea level with a temperature that varies between 6 and 9 ° C. As the river moves towards its mouth, the height decreases progressively while the temperature increases, presenting different climatic types that reach up to 30 ° C.

These variations determine the types of vegetation present in each sector. In the basin of the Bogotá river, there is forest vegetation such as moor, Andean, scrub, gallery and stubble.

Páramo Forest

It is above 3,100 meters above sea level, composed mainly of friars, bushes and grasslands resistant to soil and temperature conditions. This type of vegetation is exclusively found in the upper reaches of the Bogotá River.

The most common species present in the basin are páramo geranium, páramo clico, rabbit, sanalotodo, violado romerillo, páramo rosemary, frailejón, reindeer lichen, reventadera, agraz, chocho, reed, blackberry, low broom, licopodio and cadillo.

Andean Forest

This type of vegetation is found in the upper and middle basin of the Bogotá River at altitudes above 2,700 meters above sea level. Woody vegetation predominates with average heights of 8 meters. The most abundant species are encenillos, gaque, spoon, cheflera, tuno, chuguacá, silvosilvo, chusque, blackberry, salvio, palo blanco, bear's hand, alder, cedrillo, apple tree, colorado, tagua, laurel, borrachero, campano, fern and Espino.

Scrub forest

It occurs at 2,600 meters above sea level in areas where the terrain has a slope greater than 30 meters of unevenness for every 100 meters of horizontal advance. They reach maximum heights of 6 meters.

The most common scrub species are campano, puya, mattress of poor, amargoso, chilco, cat's claw, moss, anise grape, peach, chite, tuno roso, angelito, arrayán, orchids, guaquito, bird's eye, cacaito and Bogota tea.

Gallery Forest

This vegetation is found directly on the riverbed of the Bogotá. The most representative species of this type of vegetation present in the Bogotá riverbed are guácimo, cajeto, vanillo, algarrobo, guacharaco, otoba, jobo, mango, gomo, dibidibi, mamey, frijolillo, wild cotton, cedar, samán, tree of bread, cocoa and bay.

Stubble forest

Stubble forests are flat terrain close to gallery forests. Low and medium shrubs predominate. The most common flora of the area is developed with species such as water mother, diomate, totumo, balso, spearhead, flycatcher, rubber, dinde, milky, guava and bone.

Fauna

Like the vegetation, the fauna present in the Bogotá river basin is determined by the climatic types it presents in its 5,886 km² of extension. In the area occupied by the basin there are species that have been declared in a vulnerable state and in critical danger of extinction.

The habitats supported by the river are a refuge of special importance for migratory birds that pass through its territory on their journey south, looking for warmer climates to nest.

There have been approximately 449 species of birds present in the Bogotá basin, among these include the native and migratory ones such as barraquillero, patero falcon, heron, turrio duck, cardinal, paramuna eagle, curlew, swallow, tick, cock of water, Blue-billed duck, Bogota tingua, black corocora, blue heron, chirriador, wild duck, gray heron and pigeon.

Granny, Canadian duck, collared swift, sugar bowl, whirlpool, racket-tailed hummingbird, heron, snail hawk, squirrel cuckoo, carriageway, turtledove, kingfisher, white eagle, hawk, pimp, guala, sparrow, kestrel, turkey, are also sighted. partridge, moorhen, chilaco, horned lark, honeydew, black seedling, tuft, chisga, swallow, gorse, tanager, cockroach, blackbird, siriri, carpenter, yacaro and currucutu.

173 species of mammals have been recorded in the Bogotá river basin, including carnivores, primates and bats. Among the species present in the area are palm bears, ghost bat, mountain fox, marteja, weasel, tigrillo, ghost bat, cusumbo and guache.

The list is completed by the spectacled bear, long-nosed bat, armadillo, shrew, chucha, rucho, fruit bat, soche deer, red monkey, limpet, porcupine, curi, anteater, corn monkey, calving cat, tapir, baquiro and guatín.

In the area, 55 species of amphibians and 84 species of reptiles have been registered, including green toad, banana frog, salamanqueja, marsupial frog, sabanera snake, false coral, needle caiman, stifle, spiny lizard, vine, land snake, coral tail of chili pepper and blue lizard.

The fish present in the river basin are located mainly on its tributaries, since the level of contamination in its channel makes it impossible for the species to survive, mainly due to the low levels of oxygenation of the water.

Around 40 species of fish have been recorded in the Bogotá basin, including nicuro, chimbe, guanina, rainbow trout, cucho, mojarra, sardinata, bocachico, caloche, sleeper and alenca.

References

1. Approach to the implications of the ruling of the Council of State on the Bogotá River in the regional territorial ordering, Mayor's Office of Bogotá, District Planning Secretariat, 2014. Taken from sdp.gov.co
2. Organization and management plan for the Bogotá River Hydrographic Basin, Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca, 2006. Taken from repositorio.gestiondelriesgo.gov.co.
3. Support Plan for the management and ordering of a POMCA river Bogotá basin. Elaboration of the diagnosis, prospective and formulation of the basin, Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca. Taken from repository.gestiondelriesgo.gov.co.
4. Biotic Component: Project Hydraulic Adaptation and Environmental Recovery of the Bogotá River, Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca. Taken from car.gov.co/uploads/files/5aecd2dd85678.pdf
5. The unremembered story of the Bogotá River, RCN Radio, April 23, 2019. Taken from rcnradio.com.