Flooding In Cartagena

Arriving in Cartagena de Indias (to give it its full name) could best be described as arriving in the middle of a raging inferno, just without the actual flames. We have been to many hot places on this adventure, but a combination of the heat and humidity made the city as challenging as we had come across. So it was without much thought or deliberation that our first act upon arrival was to book rental accommodation and vehicle storage until we were due to move on.

Having dropped our camper van off at the vehicle storage, we headed to the Bocagrande neighbourhood to the south of the city. Originally an area of ​​mangroves and beaches, Bocagrande began to develop in the 1940s, when the city of Cartagena experienced an economic and demographic boom. Over time, modern apartment buildings, luxury hotels and shopping centers were built and the neighbourhood is now considered the epicenter of Cartagena’s urban development.

Arriving to Bocagrande and it’s plethora of sun-seekers, hawkers and everything else in-between, reminded us of other such coastal locations across mainland Europe – fine for a few days but not exactly what we were looking for. But beggars can’t be choosers and we were certainly not complaining to be out of the camper van heat for a few days.

Colombia and its neighbours have a slightly different concept of seasons to those of us who have grown up in Europe. Gone are the familiar scents and sounds of spring, summer, autumn and winter, replaced by a much simpler concept of dry and wet seasons. We arrived in Cartagena in late October, so would catch the end of the wet season during our time there.

A couple of days into our stay brought the first of the wet season deluges for us to experience there. While the rain lasted no longer than a couple of hours, it certainly left its mark on the Bocagrande streets. Large puddles were visible all around as we strolled the local area. Yet having previously witnessed such rains in South East Asia, I really did not give the whole episode too much importance. However, when I rose the next morning to get a few groceries, the full impact on the streets of the neighbourhood could be seen.

Bocagrande sits at an average of about 1 metre above sea level, due to its position on a narrow sandy bar along the coast. A consequence of this is that when it rains, and when it is high tide, the 4 kilometre long strip of land becomes widely submerged. While the flooding on the roads was more than anything I had ever seen, what shocked me more was the reaction, or lack thereof, of the locals.

It appeared that this was just part-and-parcel of their everyday life. Taxis continued to swarm the streets while flood-water rose above the top of their wheels. Walkers returned home with shoes, socks and in some cases shorts completely soaked. Even street-sellers went about their work unabated, simply adjusting the height, level or angle of what they had for sale to keep it dry for would-be shoppers.

Since the year 2000, the city of Cartagena has experienced annual sea-level rises three times higher than the global average. Conservative estimates put both Bocagrande and the wider Cartagena city a full 1 metre underwater in 75 years. To date, local politicians seem too interested in blaming each other for the current situation than finding solutions for the harder times ahead. And the locals seem to be muddling through themselves, simply accepting the reality of living somewhere that is essentially sinking.

Yet I suspect it will not be long before Bocagrande, Cartagena and other very well-known coastal cities reach at a point where ignoring the reality is no longer an option. Flood defences, relocation plans and other required actions do not seem to interest the general public yet, and thus can be ignored by our elected leaders.

Until this day arrives, it seems we will be content to simply keep our heads stuck in the soon-to-be very soggy sand.

Click here to read the “Stick Or Twist…” blog post