The Colombian government holds a Council of Ministers in Montería to coordinate responses to floods in Córdoba, triggered by heavy rains and discharges from the Urrá reservoir. Urrá's board appointed Enrique Kerguelen Méndez as interim president after Julián Acevedo's resignation, amid criticism from President Gustavo Petro. Proposals include a new economic emergency and use of unspent royalties to address the crisis.
In Montería, Córdoba, on February 10, 2026, President Gustavo Petro led a Council of Ministers to assess the emergency from floods affecting 24 of 30 municipalities in the department. Intense rains, unusual for February according to the Ideam, have raised reservoir levels like Urrá to 103.34%, Ituango to 99.66%, and Calima to 98.32%, per XM data.
The Urrá hydroelectric plant conducted discharges into the Sinú River to protect its infrastructure and communities from greater flooding, but this sparked controversy. President Petro labeled the actions a 'environmental crime' on his X account and demanded the manager's immediate resignation, stating: 'The manager must resign immediately and assume his penal responsibilities.' The ANLA reported that Urrá exceeded maximum permitted levels on 21% of days between 2020 and 2024, rising to 30% in 2025. The Superintendence of Public Services noted that in January 2026, Urrá surpassed limits for 15 of 31 days.
Julián Acevedo resigned hours after Petro's statements, citing pressures from the climate crisis. Urrá's board appointed Enrique Kerguelen Méndez, a civil engineer from Universidad de los Andes with experience at the entity since 1996, as interim president. Acevedo defended the measures, arguing that 'without the reservoir, the catastrophe would have been much greater' and that Urrá has controlled 97% of floods since 2000.
To fund the response, Finance Minister Germán Ávila announced a new economic emergency declaration to raise $8 trillion via a patrimony tax on companies over 200,000 UVT. Governors, led by Córdoba's Erasmo Zuleta Bechara, proposed using unspent royalties over $6 trillion from environment and science sectors. The Ministry of Mines and Energy urged generators to lower energy prices due to high reservoir levels, and the Ministry of Transport is monitoring roads for landslides.
Petro denounced some politicians using government aid for electoral campaigning, calling it 'electoral shamelessness.' Banco Agrario activated financial relief for 23,342 clients in Córdoba, with extensions up to 180 days on $351 billion in credits.
