Colombia: Areas around Ituango dam remain on high alert /update 4

Event

As of Tuesday, June 5, areas downriver from the Ituango dam - located 170 km (105 mi) north of Medellín in Antioquia department - remain under maximum alert levels due to the threat of the dam collapsing. Landslides in recent days have delayed emergency work on the dam and have disrupted emergency relief efforts in some nearby communities. If the dam did collapse, catastrophic flooding downstream along the Cauca River could potentially inundate 12 municipalities across four departments (Antioquia, Sucre, Córdoba, and Bolívar) within hours. Continued heavy rain is forecast for Antioquia department in the coming days, increasing the risk of collapse.

The Colombian weather service IDEAM has issued red alerts for landslides for the Antioquia municipalities of Valdivia, Tarazá, Salgar, Nechí, Ituango, Gómez Plata, Carolina, Cáceres, Amagá, and Medellín. Authorities have also issued red alerts for flash flooding along rivers in the Antioquia and Bolívar municipalities of Valdivia, Tarazá, Olaya, Nechí, Caucasia, Cáceres, Pinillos, and Achí. Lower orange alerts for flooding and landslides are also in effect for other parts of the departments. On June 4, government officials announced that evacuation simulations had been conducted in the towns of Achí and San Jacinto del Cauca (Bolívar).

Context

Flooding and landslides are common in Colombia during the rainy seasons, which typically occur in April-May and October-November. However, the current rainy season is expected to continue into June. Generally speaking, the flood risk is highest along rivers and the landslide risk is highest in hilly or mountainous zones, particularly in poorer areas lacking proper building code standards.

Advice

Individuals in the above areas are advised to closely monitor the situation and to adhere to any instructions issued by the local authorities (e.g. evacuation orders).