The winter season arrived at the department ‘stomping’. In several municipalities, damage was reported due to the rains of recent days. The forecasts remain cloudy.
If it rains here, it doesn’t clear there, a popular expression goes.
The rains fell widely throughout the week in much of Santander and the road network took the brunt of it.
Also read: Alert in Santander due to sudden flooding of rivers and falling rocks
In recent days, the community of the Mata de Lata village of Guaca, in the province of García Rovira, had to face an emergency situation.
The heavy rains that fell in the area softened the terrain of the road that connects them with the urban area of the municipality and the transportation of food was put at risk.
Proof of this, a Dodge 600 cargo vehicle, ideal for the trails, was left buried in the road and the community did everything possible to remove it.
You may be interested in: They declared a public calamity in Bucaramanga due to the arrival of the rainy season
With the help of a tractor, residents of Mata de Lata hooked the truck and pulled it out of the mud. However, the heavy load of potatoes he was carrying prevented the maneuver.
The farmers had no choice but to carry the potato packages on their shoulders and transfer them to another vehicle to take them to Guaca.
In this regard, the mayor of Guaca, Ferney Villamizar, reported that the entry of the winter season caused several damages to the tertiary road network. “In the Quebradas sector, several tributaries overflowed and affected the roads. In addition, the stones damaged several aqueducts.”
Since the beginning of this year, in this municipality its mayor joined with the leaders of Santa Bárbara and Tona to maintain an alternative road that could unblock them if Curos – Málaga collapses.
See also: Are Santander’s roads prepared for the winter wave?
This is the Guaca – Baraya – Berlin highway, which connects these three municipalities. It is a secondary bidirectional road, without pavement, but that directly connects García Rovira with Bucaramanga.
On this 60 kilometer road, work was carried out with yellow machinery. However, the president of Guaca reported that the rains wiped out what little had been fixed.
For its part, the Santander Disaster Risk Management Office reported that after last Saturday’s downpour there was a sudden increase in the flow of several rivers, a situation that generated concern among residents of the riverside areas.
According to the report, the unexpected increase in water levels caused rocks and trees to fall in areas near the Los Curos-Málaga highway.
In the case of the Bucaramanga-San Gil road, the Traffic and Transportation Section of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Police reported that at kilometer 73 there was a landslide that restricted the passage to one lane.
Through a statement, the entity reported that it “continues to evaluate the situation and will provide regular updates as the situation evolves.”
Likewise, he warned that “the community is recommended to stay informed through official channels and follow the instructions of local authorities in case of emergency.”
Alert for road fragility
After the worsening of winter, the deputy of Santander, Martín Gutiérrez, warned that “unfortunately Santander is not prepared for the winter season.”
The corporation added that “the panorama on roads such as Curos – Málaga, on the access road to Encino and the road between Bucaramanga and Barrancabermeja is worrying.”
In this regard, the governor of Santander, Juvenal Díaz, recognized that the winter wave is harsh on the Department’s road infrastructure. “This year we anticipated the arrival of the rains and sent a letter to the National Unit for Risk Management asking them to help us with machinery to mitigate the risk in some areas and in the meantime we have arranged the little machinery we have to “help with the contingency of various situations.”
The president explained that he met with several mayors to make them aware of the prevention measures and that they, in turn, meet with the communities and alert the populations located in the points with the highest risk of damage.
