Abstract:
The present research project is about the case study of the informal tannery industry settled in the Bogotá River’s upper basin. These tanneries use great volumes of water, and have poured chromium, chloride, sulphide, and tannin into the River for more than thirty years. There are several conditions that have hindered the implementation of policies to tackle the pollution problem of the tanneries on the Bogotá River. The claim of this research project is that the technical strategies applied to solve the River’s environmental problems, such as treatment plants or pipe systems, are not sufficient. It is fundamental to include, just as critically, the social, economic, and political dimensions, and to understand and involve all stakeholders. Additionally, the River should be treated under a regional perspective, because to date the political and institutional division has caused a fragmented and disarticulated approach. Previous efforts from various government levels to solve the tanneries pollution problems include planning projects designed by the Cundinamarca Department, land-use policies issued by the towns of Villapinzón and Chocontá, and various environmental laws emitted by the regional environmental authority Corporación Autónoma Regional de Cundinamarca CAR. Due to the inefficacy of the mentioned attempts to address the environmental problem of the tanneries, last March 2014, the Colombian Council of State emitted a sentence that aimed to finalize this long struggle. The sentence ordered to undertake all necessary actions to recuperate the River in the term of the next thirty years, with an assigned $3-billion-USD budget. It also ordered the relocation of the tannery industries of Villapinzón and Chocontá to an eco-park. The goal of the present study is not only to illustrate the conflict, the events, and the stakeholders involved in the tannery problem, but also to analyze the eco-park policy to relocate the tanneries. The present study was developed from June to December 2014, through field research that included visits and interviews with tanners, representatives of regional and local government agencies, the academia, and an international agency. A series of photographs, which were also part of the fieldwork, complements the study. The photo essay intends to build a storytelling to help the reader visualize the larger landscape, tannery, and stakeholder contexts in which the case study has unfolded. The present study is developed in sections where it is explained the physical context of the River and its environmental problems, the stakeholders involved in the tannery problem, the power structures and interests that have shaped the decisions made, the historical background of the conflict, the analysis of the eco-park, as well as its advantages and disadvantages, and finally, the conclusion presents perspectives and recommendations to implement along with the future eco-park.
Citación recomendada (normas APA)
Adriana Isabel Gutiérrez Álvarez, "Industrial Wastewater. Tracing the Tannery Industry in the Bogotá River", Bogotá (Río, Colombia); Chocontá (Cundinamarca, Colombia); Villapinzón (Cundinamarca, Colombia):-, 2015. Consultado en línea en la Biblioteca Digital de Bogotá (https://www.bibliotecadigitaldebogota.gov.co/resources/3711824/), el día 2025-05-19.
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