The manager of Empresa de Acueducto y Alcantarillado de Bogotá EAAB (Bogotá Water and Sewarage Company), Cristina Arango Olaya, participated virtually in the Second International Conference 'Water, Megacities and Global Change: EauMega 2022', organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO and the Megacities Alliance for Water and Climate MAWAC.
Within the framework of this conference, Cristina Arango participated on behalf of the Mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López, in the Assembly of Mayors and Governors, which was attended by representatives of megacities such as New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Istanbul, Lima, Santiago de Chile, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Mumbai, among others.
In this space for global knowledge exchange, the manager of EAAB presented challenges, solutions and innovations in water to mitigate the effects of climate change in the capital of Colombia.
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Cristina Arango opened the panel of Mayors and Governors, presenting the integrated management of water resources carried out by EAAB, through the development of water system conservation activities, surface water catchment, water treatment and distribution, for the supply of more than 10 million people.
Another highlight was the management of the carbon footprint generated, "Between 2019 and 2021, the company reduced its emissions by 18%, thanks to energy efficiency projects such as the modernization of pumping stations", to this Arango added, "EAAB is the only aqueduct and sewerage company in Colombia that has been certified as carbon neutral".
At the end of her speech, the manager shared Bogotá's greening strategy, through which it is planned to plant more than 100,000 trees in Bogotá's four urban watersheds, as well as in wetlands and environmental corridors.
"With a sustainable modernization model, we seek to mitigate the impacts of climate change. For this we dedicate resources to build a solid hydrometeorological network, and diversify our set of measurement tools, using bioindicators such as algae and fish to assess water quality in catchment areas," emphasized the EAAB manager.
Among the various speeches made by mayors and representatives at the conference, the plan to mitigate the risks of natural disasters caused by rising sea levels in New York stands out. According to Eric MacFarlane, Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, "We need to continue to work with all levels of government, local and national, on a global model of resilience to climate change".
The Second International Conference 'Water, Megacities and Global Change: EauMega 2022' brought together more than 800 decision-makers, researchers and utility operators. The multiple strategies presented allowed for a global overview of interdisciplinary approaches to the adoption of international cooperation models aimed at achieving a paradigm shift in urban water management and climate change adaptation.
The Megacities Alliance for Water and Climate MAWAC is made up of more than 400 participating cities. UNESCO acts as the secretariat of this platform, and facilitates the exchange of experiences and challenges, to propose solutions, access to technical and financial support for projects to overcome the challenges of climate change related to water globally. The invitation to Bogota to participate in this meeting demonstrates the global interest in learning about the innovative actions developed in the Colombian capital to address climate change and for a sustainable and responsible management of its water resources.
