Town/City:


Bogota
(Santa Fe de Bogotá, D.C.)

State/Province:

Cundinamarca

Country:

Colombia

Latitude/Longitude:

04N 74W

Information supplied by

Juan Carlos Segura

dapd.socioeconomica@aldato.com.co

Carrera 30 # 24-90, Piso 8, Oficina 810, Santa Fe de Bogotá, D.C., Colombia

57-1-269 6690

Dated Tue Feb 17 06:24:45 1998

Information Topics:

City Description:

Santa Fe de Bogotá, D.C. (a.k.a. Bogota) has a population of about 5.7 million and is the first industrial, commercial, cultural and political centre of the country.
Altitude: approx 2600 m above sea level;
Area: 36 000 Ha (1997);
Density: 215 Hab/Ha (1997); 200 (1990); 124 (1970);
Real GDP per capita (1995): US$2052.1, US$PPP 8702.4
Gini coefficient (1993): 0.4840
Life Expectancy at birth: 71.43 years;
Adult Literacy: 95.5%;
Human Development Index (1995): 0.8543 (provisional)
Human Development Index (1980): 0.8110

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Climate:

Mountain (Andine) climate (winter rain, summer drought). Average Annual Temperature: 14°C (90°F) Max Absolute Annual Temperature: 19.9°C Min Absolute Annual Temperature: 5.2°C The average annual rainfall is

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Basic Hydrogeology:

The hydrologic system consists of the natural system, constituted by rivers, gulches, lagoons and other bodies of water that are associated with the geologic development of the Bogotá River, and the artificial system constitued by the reservoirs and channels that drive and receive water of the sewer system. The primary net maintains the connection of the Bogotá River with the City; it is constituted by the rivers of maximum flow and it permits the connection between the oriental hills and the Bogotá River. The rivers are: the Tunjuelo river, the Fucha River and the Rio Juan Amarillo. The secondary Net comprises rivers and gulches with influences in local zones and that are tributaries of the primary net rivers: River San Cristóbal, River San Francisco, Arzobispo River, Salitre River, San Juanito River, The Floresta Gulch, La Chorrera Creek, Las Delicias creek, Gulch Santa Librada, Yomasa Gulch, Broken Los Molinos, Torca Gulch, Gulch Nova, Gulch San Cristóbal and Gulch La Cita. Gulches, [escorrentías] and streams make up the tertiary net, some of which could reach great magnitude. They complete the important function of natural hill drainage. They are: Contador Gulch, El Cedro Creek, Gulch San Dionisio, Broken El Chorrerón, Gulch Bolonia, El Carrizal Creek, El Zorro Creek, Botello Gulch. The main tributaries of the Bogotá river are, for the Western border, the rivers Cold, Chicú and Balsillas. The main bodies of still water, commonly known as "humedales", are: Lagoon of Juan Amarillo, Swamp of Jaboque, "Chucua" La Conejera, Swamp of Torca, "Chucuas" of the Donkey and the Cow, Swamps of Santa María del Lago, Lagoon of the Club of the Lizards and Bog of the Florida. The artificial system is noteworthy: 43 channels add 105 longitudinal kilometers, which drive waters to the open sky by evaporation. The black waters are managed laterally and separately of these channels by means of underground interceptors. Reservoirs have also been created in order to regulate the riverine waters, mainly of the Bogotá river, as for the construction of the channel dams of the Tintal. For the Tunjuelito river bale controllers have been constructed like that of The Regadera.

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Water Use:

Groundwater provides about 100% of Bogotá's potable supply and of the city's total water usage. For 1995 the subscribers to the service of the aqueduct and sewer system have risen to 1 032 814, of which the, 88.9% are residential users, the 5.2% mixed (residential and commercial), the 4.7% commercial, while the industrial, official and special sectors participate in minor proportion. To the interior of the residential sector, to which 918 223 users correspond, the levels with the biggest participation are strata 3 (35.7%) and 2 (32.6%), representing 68.3% of the billed population; on the other hand, the strata 4, 5 and 6 add 27.2% of the total of subscribers.

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Groundwater Issues:

Forthcoming

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Groundwater Problems:

Because the basin of the Bogotá River is very industrialized, the Bogotá River receives black waters, not only from the houses but also from the factories, and is contaminated with 900 daily tons of biochemical demand of oxygen (DBO). The project for rehabilitation of the Bogotá River is one of the projects of great scale. (JICA, 1996, pp.146-148). Three main rivers exist that contribute to the sewer of wastewaters in the City. The Salitre River and the Fucha River receive the whole discharge of water of the houses and of the factories located in the basin, and the Tunjuelo river receives the wastewaters of the minerals extraction and of the industrial zone. These rivers end in the Bogotá River, so that the polluted water goes against the health of the inhabitants of the riverside. The concentration of Chemical Demand of Oxygen is extremely high; the Salitre River has 1999mg/l; the Fucha river 353mg/ l; and the Tunjuelo River 212mg/ l. Scarce Dissolved Oxygen (DO) creates a condition of anoxia and also contributes to heavy metals contamination. The total of loads of Suspended Solids (SS) is calculated to be: the Salitre River in 123 tons/day, the Fucha River in 263 Tons/day and the Tunjuelo River in 262 Tons/Day (Source: JICA, Ibid)

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Solutions:

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References and Other Author(s):

Bogotá - Departamento Administrativo de
Planeación Distrital (1995). Estadísticas
de Santa Fe de Bogotá, D.C.

Segura, J.Carlos (1996) "Desarrollo Humano
y Progreso Social en Santa Fe de Bogotá, D.C.,
balance y Perspectivas 1980 - 1995) DAPD: Bogotá

Japan International Cooperation Agency - JICA (1996)
Estudio del Plan Maestro del Transporte Urbano de
Santa Fe de Bogotá en la República de Colombia.
Chodai Co. Ltd & Yachico Engineering Co. Ltd.

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Contacts:

Juan Carlos Segura-Ortiz
Economist Officer
Urban Dynamics Division
Departamento Administrativo de Planeación Distrital
Address...: Cra 30 # 24-90, piso 8, oficina 809
Voice.....: 57-1-368 0717 57-1-368 0747
Fax.......: 57-1-269 6690
E-mail....: dapd.socioeconomica@aldato.com.co

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