COLOMBIA
Part 1
We contacted professors of the University of La Guajira to discuss our tasks and how what we map affects them. We were able to exchange multiple emails and eventually set up a Skype session with Dr. Zayra Oviedo. We had contacted her via Skype October 26 during our class time. While we were talking to here we had asked to speak with some of her students however, we were unable to speak to them because the University was closed due to local political instability. Despite this we were still able to get a valuable insight to our tasks and how they help the area.
Dr Zayra Oviedo
Part 2
1) Michael Wheeler
Colombia, or Republica de Colombia is a South American country bordered by Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. Bogota is the country’s capital and largest city. The Andean mountain range runs through the western half of the country. The eastern half of the country low elevation, jungle-covered plain. Most people live in the north and west where agricultural opportunities and natural resources are found. The Spanish speaking country has a population of about 46 million and is about twice the size of Texas. The country has a difficulty political and social situation.
The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report (2013) ranked the quality of overall infrastructure of Colombia 92nd out of 148 countries. The qualities of roads, railroad infrastructure, and port infrastructure were found to be the most problematic, ranked at 130th. Only about 15 percent of Colombia’s roads are paved. In addition to Colombia’s infrastructure problems, the country does have some environmental issues. Deforestation affects the country, along with soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides.
Decades of conflict have turned Colombia into one of the worst humanitarian hotspots in the world. Millions of people are living in the crossfire between rebels, drug traffickers and militias. In October 2016, a landmark peace deal between rebels and the government to end over 50 years of conflict was rejected. The rejection of deal shocked the country.
2) Paul Luna
USAID Involvement in Colombia: Due to the conflict that has been raging in Colombia there is an inequality of policy made and an inequality of development. This inequality leads to a lack of provided services and a lack of effective government in the area. The goal of USAID is to help close the gap of this inequality. In order to do this they need accurate information of where the citizens of Colombia are and what the state of their infrastructure is. Along with advising policy in the area USAID hopes that improving the quality of life for its citizens it will encourage peace in the area.
Manaure, La Guajira, Colombia Bogotá, Colombia
3) Paul Luna
OSM Data for Colombia: The state of the OSM data for the country seems good, but due to the inequality of development there are some areas that are not as detailed as others. For instance the area that we are tasked, Manaure, there is a large generalization of the buildings and roads. But overall there seems to be a fairly large amount of data. As stated earlier there is inequality of data. This means that large cities like Bogota have higher quality data and are more detailed data, than some of the smaller areas like Manaure. It doesn’t look like there are any government agencies that are contributing for the country of Colombia. For the most part it looks like it is all done by individuals in OSM.
Sources:
https://www.usaid.gov/political-transition-initiatives/where-we-work/colombia
Part 3: Sections 1, 2, and 3 for Peace & Local Government
Bruno Blanco
For several decades, Colombia has experienced a bloody civil war that has taken the lives of over 220,000 people and displaced another 5 million from their homes1. Since 2010, however, peace talks have been taking place in Havana, Cuba, aimed at bringing this conflict to its end. As FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño said last month, “let no one doubt that we will now pursue politics without weapons,” showing how willing both sides of the conflict are to put a final stop to the war. In fact, the people of Colombia voted on a peace deal in early October. The deal was not ratified though, as 50.2% of the voters ended up voting against it2. Regardless of the results though, it is important to recognize the efforts made by both sides; in fact, in a recent visit to the United Kingdom, Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos was commended for his efforts in seeking peace for his country3.
These peace negotiations have an immense impact on the people of Colombia in general, but become less apparent when going to the local level. As would be expected, when looking at specific regions and communities, regional and local geopolitical issues become more relevant. In La Guajira, for example, corruption and political instability problems are much more pressing for the locals, as well as businesses and industries. The University of La Guajira, for example, has been “in stop” for the past month due to the political situation in the region – corruption allegations against the current governor of La Guajira. Similarly, regional governments are in part responsible for the lack of management of water resources in the area, which in turn hurts water distribution for the local population and leads several problems that they face today (malnutrition, drought, etc.). For example, 26 children died of malnutrition in La Guajira in 2013, 48 in 2014 and 11 in the first six months of 2015; though these are just official estimates – the numbers are likely higher than this.5
How can we help by mapping these areas?
As previously mentioned, the peace negotiations do not necessarily have a direct impact on the local population of La Guajira. Mapping these areas, however, is of great help for the people of Manaure and nearby communities. By mapping roads and buildings, for example, we can improve reaction response time to natural disasters (floods, prolonged droughts, etc.) and even make it easier for local administrations to effectively administer public resources.
Salt mining in Manaure, La Guajira
Sources:
1: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/world/americas/colombia-farc-peace-agreement.html?_r=2
2: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37537252
Part 3: Sections 1, 2, and 3 for Land Use
Cody White
A problem facing Colombia is their land usage, this includes mines and farms. In a county with so many dense cities it is hard to make effective use of their land. With this problem Colombia faces issues concerning utilizing these areas to their full potential. In some cases, these areas are in high risk regions, which makes them hard to follow through with considering their proximity to possible danger zones. Many of these areas are abandoned and left uncompleted.
This is not only a problem here in Colombia but in other countries as well, concerning the useful land that could be used for construction, and development of farms and possible mining grounds.
The problem in Colombia is a lot of these areas are in danger zones. Near flood plains and near potential hot zones. Considering the past 50 years and the Colombian war many of these areas have been subjected to militia uprisings and land that is taken over or shut down by the government to help support the countries need for resources, when some of these mines and farm land where no longer needed. Risks that are brought to the table are, need for resources which means more money for the economy. Also, risks that are too close to environmental regions making these areas unsafe to operate. Not to mention the political uprising whish drove workers and communities out of their comfort zones.
Possible solutions for these problems range from making these areas less high risk, operating in these mines to a point of satisfaction without disrupting the natural environment. Also making these regions less populated and letting communities know the possible danger of continuing farming and mining in high risk areas. Also relocating possible farm land to more urban areas and further away from rivers, hot zones, and easily disturbed bedrock.
We could see resolution for Colombia with these changes, helping people and local governments understand these risks so that way if disaster were to occur people would have an evacuation route and to try and sustain from living working in these regions.
What does this mean for resilience? It means that there is still work to be done and giving the people of Colombia a chance to see the danger and potential of these areas. It means that maps and transportation routes could be provided helping local communities evacuate. Also helping with new possible areas for development for farms, mining, and communities.
Sources:
https://www.usaid.gov/colombia/our-work
https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0964b/report.pdf
Part 3: Sections 1, 2 and 3 for Environment
Markus Auers
Manaure is located on an arid stretch of land on the Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Temperatures tend to be very high ranging from 28° C to 38° C.4 The area also experiences strong winds coming from the Northeast. Due to the high temperatures and strong winds, there is a great potential for evaporation in Manaure.4 The area is dry throughout most of the year, with a rain mostly occurring in the months of May, June, October, and November. 4 When rainfall does occur, downpour can be extreme with up to 6 inches falling at a time. Manaure is one of the primary municipalities affected by drought in the region along with Riohacha and Uribía.1 The Ranchería river supplies water to much of this region but due to lack of control over the river’s resources is unable to meet the high demand. 1 La Guajira is also home to the Cerrejón coalmine, one of the largest users of water from the Ranchería river.1 Due to its high use of water, the Cerrejón mine has taken large amounts of criticism in reference to the drought, though those associated with the coalmine claim their water usage is not the problem.1 Along with drought, Manaure also experiences problems due to its location on the Caribbean coast.2 Since the 1960s and 1970s coastal erosion has become a problem due to increased human activity including tourism, fishing, salt mining, and agriculture.2 In addition to these problems, Manaure is also vulnerable to floods, having experienced a major flood in 2007 that affected around 1,250 families.3
2. 2: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25737687.pdf
3. 3: http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-3531020
4. 4: http://www.manaure-laguajira.gov.co/informacion_general.shtml
Part 4: Bibliography
BBC News (2016, October 3). Colombia referendum: Voters reject Farc peace deal. Retrieved November 01, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37537252
Brito, P. B. (2007, April 27). Desbordamiento del río Ranchería afecta a 1.250 familias de La Guajira. Retrieved November 03, 2016, from http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-3531020
Brodzinsky, S. (2015, June 18). Colombia's pipes to nowhere: Villagers die of thirst as corruption stalls dam project. Retrieved November 03, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jun/18/colombia-water-drought-rancheria-corruption
Casey, N. (2016, September 26). Colombia Signs Peace Agreement With FARC After 5 Decades of War. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/world/americas/colombia-farc-peace-agreement.html?_r=2
Colombia: Political Transition Initiatives | U.S. Agency for International Development. (2016, January 4). Retrieved November 1, 2016, from https://www.usaid.gov/political-transition-initiatives/where-we-work/colombia
Nuestro Municipio. (2013, October 3). Retrieved November 2, 2016, from http://www.manaure-laguajira.gov.co/informacion_general.shtml
Our Work. (2016, August 6). Retrieved November 01, 2016, from https://www.usaid.gov/colombia/our-work
Rachel-Buitrago, N., & Anfuso, G. (2009). Assessment of Coastal Vulnerability in La Guajira Peninsula, Colombian Caribbean Sea. Journal of Coastal Research, 1(56), 792-796. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25737687.pdf?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents.
Resultado del ‘no’ en plebiscito fue por estrategias de mentiras y engaños: Santos. (2016, November 1). Retrieved November 2, 2016, from http://www.periodicolaguajira.com/index.php/general/77-nacional/40035-resultado-del-no-en-plebiscito-fue-por-estrategias-de-mentiras-y-enganos-santos
Singewald, Q. D. (1950). Mineral Resources of Colombia (other than Petroleum) (B ed., Vol. 964, pp. 53-204, Rep.). Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0964b/report.pdf
Story Map
https://texastech.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=67177309379a46259e5bfe89ad711a2a