La sentencia del río Bogotá como instrumento de política pública ambiental: análisis de su impacto normativo y territorial en el municipio de Chipaque.

Abstract

This project analyzes the impact of the Bogotá River Ruling on the municipality of Chipaque (Cundinamarca), considering its legal, environmental, and territorial implications. The ruling, issued by the Council of State in 2014, represents a landmark decision in Colombian environmental justice, as it mandates the integral recovery of the Bogotá River basin through binding actions for more than seventy institutions. Among these are municipalities such as Chipaque, which, despite having less than 10% of its territory within the Bogotá River basin, is still required to comply with highly complex and costly measures that, in many cases, affect more directly the Guayuriba River basin, where most of its hydrological system actually belongs, this mismatch generates tensions in territorial planning, the efficiency of public spending, and the perception of environmental justice, as it imposes burdens that exceed the local technical and financial capacities. Using a qualitative–descriptive approach based on documentary review, territorial analysis, direct observation, and comparative systematization, the study seeks to identify the gaps between judicial obligations and the territorial reality of the municipality, as well as propose recommendations to guide a more coherent and equitable environmental management model, the project aims to produce an accurate diagnosis of the relevance and effectiveness of the measures applied in Chipaque, and to formulate technical and legal proposals that may serve as a reference for other municipalities with similar conditions. In doing so, it contributes to the academic debate on the judicialization of environmental public policy, provides inputs for institutional management, and strengthens citizen trust by promoting an environmental governance model adapted to local realities and the sustainable protection of water resources.