Analytical Report
Clean water and sanitation
Sustainable Development Goal
Presented to:
José Chavarro
Presented by:
Valentina Ramos Peña
Business School
Northern University
Barranquilla – Atlantic
2023
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary …............................................................................................. ..................... 3
Introduction................................................................................................... ................................. 3
Development................................... .......................................................... .....................................
Conclusions .................................................. ................................................ .................................
Recommendations …................................................ .............................................. ...................... 8
Bibliographic references ….................................. ................................................................ .........
Clean water and sanitation
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Executive Summary
This report examines the problem of difficult access to clean water and sanitation in Colombia,
more specifically in the department of La Guajira, and how this affects many Colombians,
summarizing several important aspects. Although the country has taken fundamental steps to
improve the institutional framework for water, the sector is still governed by numerous
conflicting interests, laws, and funding sources, separating the design, implementation, and
monitoring of policies and investments. The purpose of this report is to analyze the situation that
the department of La Guajira is going through regarding the problem of SDG number 6 and to
suggest recommendations to the current governor of the department, Diala Patricia Wilches
Cortina, to fight against this problem.
Introduction
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From UNICEF and with the support of the Alas de mil colores foundation, the following
report was made addressed to the current governor of the department of La Guajira to raise
awareness about the problems of the most vulnerable communities in La Guajira to generate
behavior changes aimed at Hygiene habits that promote the health of people, especially boys and
girls, in addition to improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene services at the school and
community level. I am an activist and UNICEF collaborator interested in knowing what our
country Colombia has done for the department of La Guajira to help achieve sustainable
development goal number 6, since we all have the right to demand a regular and sufficient water
supply for our community. Historically, The area has been characterized by water scarcity, which
has affected the Wayuu indigenous people. Today, the influx of immigrants also creates a greater
need to serve the growing population settling in the region.
On the other hand, also with the Ala de mil colores foundation, in response to the
migratory emergency in the area, sanitary facilities and hydration points have been installed at
border crossings for the immigrant and resident population.
This type of project not only touches the community family level, but also supports the education
of children and young people, making schools and educational institutions spaces where they can
use toilets, water and soap for washing.
When considering water consumption as a variable in the sanitation sector, it is important to
consider the quantity and quality of water. With the process of development, the increase and
increasing concentration of vulnerable groups, who consider the increase in sources of pollution
in the industrial, urban and agricultural sectors as enemies, creates dangerous situations that
endanger health and safety. Human health.
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Development
La Guajira is one of the departments of Colombia, located in the northeastern part of the country.
Its economy and most of its income comes from royalties from the extraction of human resources
such as sea salt, natural gas, and coal. The income is not enough to cover the basic needs of the
population. , including access to drinking water, the lack of which is seen as one of the most
pressing problems for the population, while the industry has high levels of maternal mortality
and malnutrition, which is closely linked to infant mortality, the royalties that must be distributed
to each municipality is not reflected in the quality of life of the population, drinking water
services are consistently provided in sufficient quantity and optimal service quality, reducing the
risk and direct impact of transmission of infectious diseases, malnutrition and death. This work
presents a bibliographic review of the situation in the department and possible alternative
solutions to the problem.
Much of Colombia's water resources are unevenly distributed, so few people have access to
them; Due to its geographical location, the province of La Guajira does not have an irrigation
system for all its inhabitants and it is a department whose economic income depends to a great
extent on nature, one of the provinces where the activity of extracting resources can arise, among
they coal, which is one of the sectors that can clearly solve their situation, but these resources are
not enough to provide a solution that allows the population to obtain valuable elements of life.
Few studies have asked about the current state of the industry, so some of them will be
mentioned along with others that could lead to solutions to this problem.
La Guajira is one of the departments, located in the Colombian Caribbean, in which its
population has more difficulties with the fulfillment of their right to a better quality of life and
basic needs satisfied; reason why it is considered as one of the most abandoned. It has great
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cultural diversity whose indigenous Wayúu people are the most predominant, with their own
language called Wayuunaiki. Its economy depends on mining, agricultural activities and
industry. Tourism is another important economic sector, as well as the exploitation of sea salt,
coal and natural gas reserves. The department of La Guajira is made up of 15 municipalities and
a population of more than 680,000 inhabitants.
The management of water treatment must be based on a strategic model in which both the
environmental authorities and the direct beneficiaries of the resource clearly define the
objectives, tasks and specific actions to be implemented. In this sense, national legislation has
advanced in the improvement and strengthening of regulatory instruments to the point that the
management of water resources is reoriented towards future scenarios in which the quality goals
of water bodies are clearly defined. The contribution to contamination required to achieve and
meet the above quality objectives.
On World Water Day 2023, UNICEF shared some of the data we have so far to give an idea of
what is happening in Colombia and the needs of all children, youth and communities to improve
the use of water in the home and in schools.
1. It is estimated that approximately 6.6 out of every 100,000 boys and girls died from
causes related to acute diarrheal disease in 2019, according to data from the National
Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). This disease could be prevented with
the consumption of treated water and access to hand washing points.
2. Similarly, 13.3 out of every 100,000 boys and girls died from acute respiratory infection
in the same year (DANE). This disease is also associated with the consumption of
untreated water and the lack of key hygiene practices.
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3. In La Guajira, the people who collect water at home, mainly girls, adolescents and
women, can take up to 5 hours of their day in this process, according to World Bank
figures. This includes going back and forth to the places where they get it, which means
that many girls and adolescents, in particular, are at risk of failing to drop out of the
study.
4. Approximately 1.4 million people in Colombia defecate in the open field; They do not
have bathrooms, latrines or any other option. Directly, these people also do not have hand
washing points to maintain key hygiene practices. This situation occurs mainly in rural,
dispersed rural areas and human settlements, according to the Joint Monitoring Program.
5. 1 in 5 respiratory infections can be prevented thanks to hand washing and 1 in 3
gastrointestinal diseases can be prevented thanks to hand washing, since up to 1,500
bacteria can live in 1 square centimeter of our hands, according to the World
Organization Of the health. However, according to the Welbin 2022 index, in Colombia
only 5 out of 10 rural schools have functional handwashing points for their students.
Next, based on a bibliographical review, different alternative solutions are proposed based on
different alternatives to the problem that arises due to the lack of drinking water in the
department of La Guajira:
For the success of the proposed purpose, a focused investigation is carried out under an
experimental study of the population to influence. With the consumption of drinking
water, acute diarrheal diseases (ADDs) will be reduced, which are a serious health
problem in developing countries and cause one million deaths each year.
Conclusions
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As in many areas of the world, La Guajira has been affected by global warming, but this region
has been in drought for almost 3 years, in addition to the fact that it is not possible to grow
typical local foods, thus causing malnutrition.
The problem is being mitigated with conjunctural solutions such as collecting bottled water in
the field to take to the sector, digging deep wells with pumps and sometimes due to lack of
electricity without them, forcing the political class to exploit the needs of the people of the
department for use purposes.
The solution to the entire water problem in these communities and municipalities could be
putting into operation the ranchería river dam built for this purpose and later raised by the
governments as a white elephant, damming a large amount of water that could solve this
problem, not only of potable water if not of irrigation in crops that help to develop this
department.
Recommendations
This analysis addressed to the current governor of the department of La guajira aims to publicize
the situation facing the department of La guajira and the scarcity of water that aggravates the
health situation and therefore affects the quality of life.
It should be noted that La Guajira, being one of the departments that receives significant income
from mining, cannot guarantee its inhabitants better living conditions, including access to
drinking water and sanitation. However, many are concerned about the situation and offer
various solutions to improve the situation, and it should be noted that the government must take
responsibility and implement policies that change the reality of the industry.
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Bibliographic references
Arboleda, Luis Fernando (2006). Brief description of the aqueduct and sewerage sector in
Colombia.
Aviles, W. (2019). The Wayúu tragedy: death, water and the imperatives of global capitalism.
Third World Quarterly, 40(9), 1750-1766.
Lou, L., & Lou, L. (2020, September 2). Colombia: rich in water, but thirsty for investment. The
America Country. https://elpais.com/economia/2020-09-02/colombia-rica-en-agua-pero-
con-sed-de-inversiones.html
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World Health Organization (WHO)/Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/CEPIS (2000).
«Evaluation of Drinking Water and Sanitation Services 2000 in the Americas -
Colombia». Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved February 12,
2008.
United Nations (2018), The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals: an
opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean (LC/G.2681-P/Rev.3),Clean water and
sanitation - The 2030 Agenda in Colombia - Sustainable Development Goals
(dnp.gov.co)
MinHousing, (2021, August 24). Colombia has water power: 93% of Colombians already have
access to this service | Minihousing. Minihousing.https://www.minvivienda.gov.co/sala-
de-prensa/colombia-potencia-en-agua-el-93-de-los-colombianos-ya-cuentan-con-acceso-
este-servicio
BOHÓRQUEZ, L. (2015) Bioethics of the right to drinking water. Reflection article. Accessed 3
November 2016. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/41978592. pdf
BORRERO, J; MONTOYA, F.; GONZÁLEZ, L. (2013) Development of an
aerodesalination system for the purification of brackish aquifers in the Colombian
Guajira. Consulted on November 3, 2016. Available at:
http://revistas.usc.edu.co/index.php/Ingenium/article/view/312#.WB0tOvl97IU
CHAVARRO, I.; ROJAS, D. (2015). Transport and storage of water for the Wayúu communities
of Jujulekat, Sirmana and Panterramana in the municipality of Manaure, Guajira media.
Accessed 3 November 2016. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/41978592.pdf
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CORREA, G.; MUÑOZ, A. (2014). Water, poverty and equity: an asymmetric analysis. Latin
American Journal of Bioethics. ISSN 1657-4702. Consulted on November 3, 2016.
Available at: http://www.scielo.org.co/pdf/rlb/v15n1/v15n1a08.pdf
Robles, D.A. (2020). Indigenous Water Governance in the Anthropocene: Non-Conventional
Hydrosocial Relations Among the Wayuu of the Guajira Peninsula in Northern
Colombia.
Ulloa, A. (2020). The rights of the Wayúu people and water in the context of mining in La
Guajira, Colombia: demands for relational justice of water. Human Geography, 13(1), 6-
15.
UNICEF, (2023, March 21). 6 figures to understand access to water and sanitation in Colombia |
UNICEF Figures to understand access to water in Colombia. Unicef.
https://www.unicef.org/colombia/historias/6-cifras-para-entender-el-acceso-agua-y-
saneamiento-en-colombia
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