How Colombian communities are leading the fight against floods
A river wall retaining the Cauca River, Colombia, is being reinforced in the context of a community-based disaster risk reduction project.
When the Cauca River began to rise in May 2024, the people of Guaranda didn't wait for disaster to strike. Thanks to their community early warning system and teamwork, they knew which retaining wall was at risk of collapse. Although the wall eventually gave way to the powerful river, their preparation allowed for the timely evacuation of communities.
Building community resilience in a wetland region
The municipality of Guaranda is located in northern Colombia in the department of Sucre, belonging to the Mojana Subregion. It is an area rich in wetlands, such as swamps, rivers, and ravines, that form essential habitats for countless species of birds, reptiles, aquatic mammals, and various plants.
However, the natural balance of this macro ecosystem of more than 5,000 square kilometres has been interrupted by climate variability phenomena, poor environmental practices, mining, ecosystem fragmentation, and extensive livestock farming. This has caused large-scale slow flooding that, to date, has affected more than .
Local people getting prepared for floods in the context of a community strategy called COMUNGERD (Communities United for Disaster Risk Management) in Guaranda, Colombia.
COMUNGERD: A community-based solution
Faced with this challenging scenario caused by flooding, the Municipal Government of Guaranda, led by Mayor Nolberto Beltrán Bueno and Municipal Office for Disaster Risk Management Coordinator Argemiro Tuirán Jiménez, developed a community strategy called COMUNGERD (Communities United for Disaster Risk Management). This initiative brought together community action board presidents, social leaders, women's associations, peasant associations, and other community representatives to become risk management spokespersons in their communities.
This collaborative approach helped identify more than 17 previously unknown critical points where the retaining walls of the Cauca River could potentially collapse, generating large-scale flooding. Working with 47 community action boards, the community created risk maps, established an early warning system in partnership with the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM), and collaborated with the municipality to implement an investment plan addressing these vulnerable areas.
Locals created risk maps in the context of a community strategy called COMUNGERD (Communities United for Disaster Risk Management) in Guaranda, Colombia.
Early warning in action
On May 6, 2024, an intense rainy season affected a large part of the Colombian territory, causing slow and sudden flooding of the Cauca River and, increasing in the number of victims, the loss of food sovereignty, respiratory diseases and agricultural losses.
The Community Early Warning System allowed officials and community members to continuously monitor river levels and generate an early warning about the possible collapse of the "Los Arrastres" retaining wall a critical point that had been previously identified and reinforced.
Although the force of the river eventually overcame the wall, our early warning enabled timely evacuation of communities near the Rabón channel.
Additionally, based on the early warning issued by the Municipal Office for Disaster Risk Management, downstream municipalities activated their disaster risk management councils and implemented contingency and evacuation protocols.
In the context of a disaster prevention community strategy in Guaranda, Colombia, more than 17 previously unknown critical points where the retaining walls of the Cauca River could potentially collapse, were identified and reinforced.
Lessons learned and future goals
For the first time in the Mojana Subregion's history, a municipality implemented a social process to reduce disaster risk. This initiative highlighted the importance of early warning systems, community involvement in targeting critical points, and the need to replicate this strategy in the Cauca's River upper, middle, and lower basins.
This experience revealed that citizen participation empowers communities and strengthens public trust in government entities by involving residents in decision-making processes.
Looking ahead, Guaranda's officials aim to strengthen communication channels, particularly in rural areas where telephone connections are unreliable, making reporting Cauca River levels challenging. Additionally, the municipality has set a three-year investment goal to mitigate existing risks.
Application at the global level
At a global level, this community-based strategy can be used in countries where governance strategies need to be improved. This is of vital importance since the trust that communities place in government entities allows for better decision-making. In addition, local communities have ancestral knowledge essential for implementing resilient, nature-based infrastructure solutions.
Argemiro Andres Tuiran Jimenez, from Monteria, Cordoba, Colombia, is a biologist and is currently the Municipal Coordinator for Disaster Risk Management for the Municipality of Guaranda (Sucre). He is also the liaison in the territory of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management for the municipality of Guaranda and belongs to the National Network of Youth for Disaster Risk Reduction.