09 [Atlas : Remains To Be Seen]

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
Doña Juana Landfill serves as a key actor within the network of actors in Bogotá. Its establishment and operation, along with the 1997 landslide incident, constitute the factors influencing Doña Juana Landfill's impact on other actors.  

  
{{:screenshot_2025-11-07_112830.png?direct&400|}}

Fig 1: (Lozano,J & Ávila, G, 2024)  


According to Fig 1, the map has showed the proliferation of landslide in landfill expanded to the northeast area into the neighbourhood. The landfill had been operating at an overloaded capacity for many years, experiencing severe landside incidents in 1997, 2015 and 2020. This factor has highlighted the potential issue of [[37|waste processing overload]]. The map also indicates a neglect of pre-sorting efforts for waste transported to the landfill in Bogotá. 
  
  
 
{{::general-view-of-dona-juana-sanitary-landfill.png?400|}}

Fig 2: General View of Doña Juana sanitary landfill.  (Caicedo, 2002) 

{{:landslide-detail.png?400|}}

Fig 3: Landslide detail . (Caicedo, 2002) 

Geologically, the area consists of a basin of [[25|sedimentary rocks]], primarily claystone and limestone from the Bogotá Formation, as well as Quaternary deposits. According to Lozano and Ávila (2024), the Doña Juana major [[27|solid waste (MSW)]] landfill covers an area of 500 hectares, with waste heights varying from 30 to 120 meters. The capacity of the waste in the La Doña Juana Landfill has led to overflowing waste, which has reached the [[34|Tunjuelo River]] in the southeast area. Referring to Figure 1, the affected area of the landslide expanded from the northeast to the south between 2015 and 2020. The first and largest flow-type landslide occurred on September 27, 1997, in Bogotá, resulting overflowing waste and materials clogging the [[34|Tunjuelo River]]. Therefore, the [[20|Quebrada Limas River]] in the northwest area of Bogotá has been polluted due to its intersection with the [[34|Tunjuelo River]].[Fig 2, Fig 3] 


 
{{:111.jpg?400|}}

Fig 4: [[34|River Pollution]] Caused by the Doña Juana Landfill. (Adapted from Google Map, 2025) 

{{:map_of_the_bogota_river_pollution_0.jpg?600|}}

Fig 5: Map of the [[34|Bogota River Pollution]] (Environment & Society Portal, 2010) 


In terms of decaying infrastructure, Doña Juana Landfill landslide reclaimed the land as the river and act as the infrastructure. Which it has [[19|a serious environmental impact]] to the neighbourhood environment at the poorest area of Bogotá. The problem decaying infrastructure has since then been bought up with the lack of [[37|waste management]] and maintenance along the river due to limited resources provided by the government to the area. Therefore, it had cause serious pollution to the ecosystem which is defined to be the [[01|air]], [[26|soil]] and [[38|water quality]]. [Fig 4, Fig 5]


Additionally, the unstable technology for waste disposal has led to [[19|environmental pollution]] in local regions and damage to the health of [[14|residents]] (Lanzas,2017). This has triggered a community conflict regarding whether [[37|the current waste disposal model]] should be changed, replacing the traditional method of burying waste with a more environmentally friendly approach that can potentially recycle the waste, and closing the landfill site (Paola,2024). Both sources have showed the potential in technological transformation to introduce new network of actors to the landfill.  


Territorial Stigmatization:  

Moreover, [[29|people's emotional]] ties to the land they inhabit are strong. Even in stigmatized areas, this “place attachment” (topofilia) prompts [[14|local residents]] to reconstruct their emotional connection to the site. Thus, when the Doña Juana Landfill was overused and triggered a landslide, nearby [[14|residents]] (the communities of southern Bogotá) (Parlante, 2023) protested to the government demanding its closure. This constituted resistance against the stigmatized site. The unfair social ecosystem has accelerated the stigmatization of the area, while [[14|local residents']] protests have helped them secure [[29|a new social identity]] (Armiero, 2021). This solidarity generated by the new identity further influences the government's attitude and [[37|management of the Doña Juana Landfill]], such as investing in new technologies to enhance the landfill's waste processing capacity and reduce negative impacts on surrounding areas (Parlante, 2023). 

{{:10.1177_11786221241261188-fig2.jpg?400|}}

Fig 6: perceptions and behaviors of [[14|Bogota citizens]] regarding civic culture and the environment.   
Number of Survey Respondents Per Locality. N: Number of localities. M: Average number of respondents in the category. S: Standard deviation of the number of respondents in the category. Min: Minimum. Max: Maximum. （Waniez，2024） 


Meanwhile, local residents' awareness of [[27|solid waste management]] practices also impacts waste disposal at the Doña Juana Landfill, further contributing to the stigmatization issues existing in the area. Survey data from Lis-Gutiérrez et al. (2024),[Fig 6] examining factors influencing environmental awareness in Bogotá, revealed that individuals of mixed ethnicity, residents who had resided in the capital for a longer period, people living in relatively higher-income areas, and people with higher educational attainment (postgraduate degree...) demonstrated greater [[29|environmental awareness]] and waste sorting consciousness compared to other categories within their respective groups. The pre-sorting efforts for waste has contributed to maintaining the operational stability of the Doña Juana Landfill, mitigating its adverse impacts on the surrounding ecological environment and residents, and has also helped [[14|local residents]] counteract the stigmatization of the area. 


Therefore, the impact of landfills has led to the stigmatization of the area, and the reactions to this stigmatization, in turn, have affected the landfills themselves. 


Meanwhile, Lucci (2025)’s performance in [[17|Museo Libre]] provided potential for the future transformation of La Doña Juana Landfill. He utilized [[36|tires]] as the medium for artistic expression. These tyres originally waste along the [[34|Tunjuelo river]] and the [[20|quebrada_limas_river]].  These tires were originally transported to landfills as [[27|solid waste]] and incinerated. The toxic gases produced by burning rubber materials spread into the [[01|air]]. These toxic gases are carried to other regions by [[39|cloud]]. During [[21|rainfall]], gases mix with rain, polluting [[26|land]] and affecting the health of [[14|residents]] and [[13|livestock]].


In conclusion, the emergence of [[17|Museo Libre]] was a public education initiative, offering [[14|locals]] a possibility for waste utilization to minimize unreasonable utilization of landfill. It also drew attention to the conditions of rivers and people living in the neighbourhood and resulted in multiple factors. This outcome further affected the surrounding environment and [[14|locals]], causing the death of [[13|livestock]] and illness. (Lucci, 2025). Therefore, the consequence of the landfill operation, [[37|management]] and subsequence environmental issues remains uncertain. 

{{:str2.jpg?600|}}

 

 

 
**Reference List: 
**
 

Armiero, M. (2021). Wasteocene : Stories from the Global Dump. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

 

Biljana, A, ed. (2024) Progress in Landslide Research and Technology, Volume 3 Issue 1. Available at: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/90902 (Accessed: [15/12/2025]). 

 

 

Caicedo, B. (2002) General View of Doña Juana sanitary landfill. Available at:General View of Doña Juana sanitary landfill   | Download Scientific Diagram (Accessed: 7 January 2026). 



Environment & Society Portal. (2014). Waste and Water Pollution. [online] Available at: https://www.environmentandsociety.org/exhibitions/water-bogota/waste-and-water-pollution [Accessed 2 January 2026]. 

 

 

Henao-Rodríguez, C., Jenny Paola Lis-Gutiérrez and Guzmán, S. (2024). Factors Influencing Environmental Awareness and Solid Waste Management Practices in Bogotá: an Analysis Using Machine Learning. Air Soil and Water Research, 17. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/11786221241261188. 

 

 

Lozano,J & Ávila, G, (2024) Landslide Hazard Evaluation of a Large Waste Landfill in Bogotá City. Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-55120-8_5 (Accessed: [15/12/2025]) 

 

 

Parlante, B. (2023). Permanent Assembly for the Closure of the Doña Juana Landfill. [online] Exhibición Virtual De Experiencias Comunitarias De Transición Energética Justa. Available at: https://transicionenergeticajusta.org/permanent-assembly-for-the-closure-of-the-dona-juana-landfill/ [Accessed: 2 December 2025].