Buenaventura is the most important port on Colombia’s Pacific coast, handling about 40% of the country’s foreign trade and acting as the gateway to the Uramba Bahía Málaga national natural park. Every year, tens of thousands of tourists arrive there, heading to the village of Juanchaco or the beaches of Ladrilleros and La Barra.But the coast around Juanchaco, in the Valle del Cauca department, is experiencing accelerated erosion that has already left damaged streets, collapsed homes and a local economy exposed to the elements.Since the second half of 2024, more than 3,000 families have been affected in Juanchaco, La Barra and Ladrilleros. In Juanchaco, erosion has destroyed more than 100 metres of coastline and compromised another 800; in La Barra, nearly 60% of inhabited land has been lost, according to the National Unit for Risk Management.
On the beach front in Juanchaco, damage caused by the rising tides has forced some people to evacuate their homes
The phenomenon known locally as puja, the intense high tides that occur every fortnight, has destroyed 22 homes and damaged another 39 in Juanchaco alone. The community has improvised defences with sandbags and ditches, but many residents have been forced to relocate to higher ground. In August 2024, the Valle del Cauca governor’s office declared a state of public calamity and is monitoring the damage to the coastline.
