A visit by the Ombudsman’s Office to the Sabana Nueva corregimiento, jurisdiction of the municipality of San Pelayo, in the department of Córdoba, made it possible to observe with great concern how the erosion of the Sinú River is progressing. If this situation continues like this, specifically in the place known as Santa Lucía, it would cut off around 5,000 families.
The Sabana Nueva Community Action Board denounced that communication with other towns and mobility are at risk, which would affect small ranchers and hundreds of peasants, since they would not be able to get their food products to the municipal seat.
Another problem revealed by the social leaders of Sabana Nueva was the advanced deterioration of the Canal and El Higo bridges. The first shows cracking and the second, being built in wood by the community after it collapsed in September of last year, shows signs of possible failures in its structure.
The Ombudsman’s Office calls on the administrations of the eight municipalities of Córdoba that are on the banks of the Sinú River, as well as the competent departmental and national entities, to update the risk management plans.
This risk situation is contemplated in the ‘Ombudsman’s Report: Assessment of the main problems of the Sinú River basin associated with the contamination of water resources and erosion and flooding processes’, a document that was socialized by the Ombudsman, Carlos Camargo Assis, in May 2022 in Montería.
On that occasion, he announced, among other aspects, the main problems of the basin due to contamination, erosive processes and floods.