Almost 12 months since the rationing measures were implemented in Bogotá due to low dam levels, the city and department have faced flooding issues. However, these events do not seem to contribute to filling the dams that supply the capital.
Over the weekend, the governor of Cundinamarca reported flooding and damages in several sectors of the entity. Meanwhile, the levels of the Chingaza System are above 39%. According to the latest report from the Autonomous Regional Corporation of Cundinamarca (Corporación Autónoma Regional Cundinamarca), within the Chingaza System, San Rafael showed an increase in its level, reaching 62.32%, while Chuza remains in descending levels and stands at 32.32% on Monday.
Natasha Avendaño, the manager of the Acueducto, clarified that one reason dams are not filling despite flooding is because it’s not raining in the headwaters of the dams. “The rainy season in Chingaza starts in April, reaches its peak in July, and its intensity begins to decrease in November, making way for dry weather in December—a climatic phenomenon that ends in March,” she explained. Although Bogotá’s rainy season begins in April, other parts of the country experience heavy rains from March onwards.
