Cali : city of seven rivers

Cali is the third largest city in Colombia and is well supplied with water resources, being known as the ‘city of seven rivers’. But the two million inhabitants of this city at the foothills of the Western Andean Cordillera face a range of water management problems. Chief among them is the pollution of all seven rivers, particularly the Cauca. There are many sources of pollution, including domestic wastewater, diffuse pollution from run-off, industrial waste and toxic waste that leaches from a former city waste dump. The situation not only affects water quality in the rivers, it also impacts on the city water supply, where the intake often has to be closed because of pollution. Urban expansion is planned in two areas adjacent to the city: middle and higher income housing in the Corredor Cali – Jamundí and low-income housing in the Régimen Diferido de
Navarro. This expansion could contribute to further contamination. At the same time, it presents an opportunity to develop alternative approaches to water management that are more sustainable. However many people, including the SWITCH team, believe that these areas should not be considered for housing development.[authors abstract]