Medellín intervenes ravines and culverts to prevent new rain-related emergencies: more than 7,500 cubic meters of debris removed in 2026

NewsInterventions in waterways and underpasses focus on mitigating the impact of rainfall and preventing blockages. The district administration of Medellín is carrying out comprehensive interventions in streams, underpasses, and drainage systems to prevent emergencies caused by possible rains. Photo: Medellín Mayor's Office. MEDELLÍN JOURNALIST16.10.2026 15:13 Updated: 16.10.2026 15:13 The rains that occurred during the first days of October in Medellín, which led to a climate emergency in the city, prompted the district administration to coordinate the relevant departments to prevent and mitigate similar episodes in the face of the threat of new rainfall in the capital of Antioquia. While the case of those affected in the La Iguaná area responds to conditions specific to the terrain and to the inherent risks of inhabiting the stream's basin, the debris, garbage, and items that were swept by the stream into the streets of the five affected neighborhoods in the area once again highlighted the need to intervene in the waterways and stormwater flow systems of the city. SEE ALSO Removal of material produced by the overflow of La Iguaná stream. Photo: Medellín Mayor's Office. However, this is not a current issue. In Medellín, the recovery of its basins and bodies of water has been discussed for decades. For the city, the presence of streams and the Medellín River itself are not only key factors in urban planning, but they also determined the dynamics of the city's growth and expansion. The Medellín River receives all of the city's wastewater: the water produced by rainfall that flows through the sewer networks, as well as the water used in homes, which first passes through treatment systems before being discharged into the body of water. The contamination of the waterways in the capital of Antioquia due to the continuous dumping of waste into their waters has generated multiple problems regarding their condition: the coloration of the liquid and the appearance of odors are factors that have become commonplace for the city's inhabitants; however, the contamination of the bodies of water and the obstruction of the systems designed to manage the city's waters have also caused key impacts in terms of functionality. One of the most recurrent and consequential is the overflowing of streams and rivers due to the presence of elements that prevent the proper flow of water according to the hydraulic capacities provided by their channels. SEE ALSO Medellín River Photo: Jaiver Nieto To give an example, in January 2026, after a heavy rain episode, several streams overflowed in the southeastern part of the capital of Antioquia. The waters spread for several kilometers, flooding main roads such as Regional Avenue, collapsing mobility, and exposing a problem hidden by the channels of the bodies of water: garbage and waste. At the time, the mayor of Medellín himself had to call on citizens to refrain from throwing garbage and foreign objects into the city's streams, as a result of the plug effect that led to their overflowing. During that period, the authorities had to remove several thousand cubic meters of waste and garbage from the basins in order to guarantee the proper flow of water and mitigate the occurrence of new overflows. Rains in Medellín Photo: Nicolás Tamayo This call also extended to the disposal of waste on the city's streets, since this waste ends up flowing into the sewers, obstructing and collapsing the wastewater flow systems. It is the perfect formula for chaos: the overflowing of the river and streams due to plug effects caused by the presence of waste and sediment, and the inability to drain the waters from the city's streets due to the obstruction of the systems designed for that purpose. From that moment on, an intervention plan for the removal of waste and cleaning of Medellín's streams, primarily, was intensified. Last June, the district administration released a report on the work carried out on the bodies of water. At that time, the report issued by the Mayor's Office regarding waste removal accounted for more than 7,000 cubic meters of material removed from the basins of some of Medellín's main streams, such as Altavista and La Guayabala. That amount translates to approximately 1.7 tons of garbage that had accumulated in the stream beds. However, after the emergency in La Iguaná on October 9, that figure increased. According to current estimates by the district administration, through the Ministry of Environment, around 7,700 cubic meters of waste have so far been removed from Medellín's bodies of water and sewer systems. SEE ALSO 'Mi Río, Mis Quebradas' advances rapidly at 26 points in Medellín. Photo: Medellín Mayor's Office. The intervention in Medellín's river and streams is a priority for the city. In that sense, at the end of 2025, the 'Mi Río, mis Quebradas' program was announced, which seeks not only to improve the hydraulic capacities of the waters through physical works, but also to intervene in and address the most critical points along their channels, including, of course, the removal of waste. This program, which received a budget allocation of more than 663 billion pesos and delivered its first four hydraulic works in early October, was recognized with the Karl Brunner award at the Colombian Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism in Cartagena in the Urban and Regional Planning category. Of that amount, according to data provided to EL TIEMPO by the Ministry of Environment, 24 billion pesos are allocated exclusively to the intervention, maintenance, and cleaning of Medellín's hydraulic systems. These interventions are coordinated by the city's Municipal Environmental Management System (SIGAM), which involves the participation of the Ministries of Environment, Mobility, and Infrastructure, as well as Medellín Public Enterprises (EPM). Within the framework of this organization's priorities, the 'Guardaquebradas' program was developed, launched in the first half of 2025 with the initial objective of managing more than 1,200 cubic meters of waste that had ended up in the city's bodies of water. The Guardaquebradas carry out interventions in the city's bodies of water. Photo: Medellín Mayor's Office. In an interview with EL TIEMPO, Secretary Marcela Ruiz highlighted the work of this group of officials in charge of the comprehensive maintenance of the bodies of water and provided details about the interventions being carried out in the city. "Currently, we carry out maintenance and hydraulic optimization of water channels, specifically in streams that have already been intervened with new infrastructure built to artificially direct the flow of water. We remove sediment, garbage, and waste with the 'Guardaquebradas' and a team of heavy machinery operators from the Ministry of Environment. Another part of the maintenance is the repair of the slabs that deteriorate over time," Ruiz explained. In addition, the secretary referred to a plan being developed as an integral part of the city's public infrastructure: the Sustainable Urban Drainage System. "On a preventive basis, we are implementing design changes in public infrastructure projects and incorporating solutions for managing rain and stormwater, on how to retain and prevent rains and everything called runoff on streets, roads, roofs, and hard floors from collapsing the city's drains," she explained. SEE ALSO Marcela Ruiz, Secretary of Environment of Medellín. Photo: Medellín Mayor's Office. She added: "There are many solutions; the most striking ones are tanks that store the water that falls on roofs and road channels. There is a system for releasing that water, at a lower speed, into the stream beds. It is also used for irrigating public gardens and is stored during critical periods." On the other hand, precisely on this October 16, just one week after the climate emergency that occurred in the city as a result of the heavy rains last Friday, a quarterly maintenance and cleaning plan for the drainage systems in the city's underpasses was announced. With specialized machinery and equipment deployed by the SIGAM, in recent hours they intervened in the first four of the city's 15 underpasses: Villanueva, in both directions; Alpujarra; Los Músicos; and Suramericana. In total, the work covered approximately 14,650 square meters of road infrastructure, with actions aimed at improving the cleanliness, functioning, and hydraulic capacity of these strategic spaces for the city. Intervention and maintenance of Medellín's underpasses. Photo: Medellín Mayor's Office. The Undersecretary of Environmental Management, Mario Ramírez, explained: "With the 'Tacita de Plata' teams and the cleaning and beautification committee, which coordinates the participation of EPM and the Ministries of Mobility, Infrastructure, and Environment, we will carry out the maintenance of the city's 15 underpasses; the cleaning of these points will be carried out, on this first occasion, at night until November 4." In addition, Ramírez went into detail about the procedures to be carried out in these quarterly sessions: "The interventions include the inspection, cleaning, and unblocking of drains, sumps, and drainage networks; the collection and proper disposal of solid waste; mechanical and manual sweeping of hard surfaces; and the maintenance of lighting systems." The undersecretary explained that these tasks help prevent obstructions in the system during the rainy seasons. In that sense, the official issued a call to citizens: "It is that they do not throw objects onto the city's grounds, since through runoff they can end up in these drains, obstructing them." NICOLÁS TAMAYO ESCALANTE Journalist for Nación, in Medellín. Follow all the information about Colombia on Facebook and Twitter, or in our weekly newsletter. EL TIEMPO NEWSLETTERSSign up for our newsletters and receive news in your email according to your interests. Stay informed about what really matters to you. EL TIEMPO GOOGLE NEWSFollow us on GOOGLE NEWS. Always stay up to date with the latest news, coverage, stories, and analysis directly on Google News. EL TIEMPO WHATSAPPJoin El Tiempo's WhatsApp channel to stay up to date with the most relevant news as it happens. EL TIEMPO APPStay informed with the EL TIEMPO app. Receive the latest news, coverage, stories, and analysis directly on your device. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DIGITAL EDITIONReliable information for you. 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