Cundinamarca's Regional Autonomous Corporation (CAR) denied water use extension to Indega S.A.S. for three springs in La Calera and cut the flow in the other four, per Resolution 347 of 2026. The action aims to preserve water for human consumption amid climate variability. Director Alfred Ballesteros Alarcón outlined the conditions on the Coca Cola bottler.
Cundinamarca's CAR issued Resolution 347 on April 14, 2026, addressing Indega S.A.S. (Industria Nacional de Gaseosas S.A.S.) extension request for water from seven springs in La Calera.
It denied the extension for springs five, six, and seven. For springs one, two, three, and four, it cut the flow from 3.23 to 1.9 liters per second and limited the permit to five years instead of ten, said director general Alfred Ballesteros Alarcón.
The ruling followed over a year of technical studies, including hydrological modeling, hydrogeological analysis, and water balance under various climate scenarios. The process included public hearings and input from local authorities, civil organizations, and oversight bodies, at the Environment Ministry's request.
Indega must meet requirements such as acquiring and restoring over 53 hectares in páramo and high Andean ecosystems, running an environmental education plan, building an alternative municipal aqueduct system, and installing real-time flow monitoring. "In an extreme hydrometeorological event or El Niño phenomenon, the concession suspends immediately," Ballesteros stated.
Ballesteros noted the resolution sets a benchmark for resolving socio-environmental conflicts using scientific criteria amid climate change.
