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The Canal del Dique ( Levee Channel) is a 118 km artificial canal connecting Cartagena Bay (at the corregimiento of Pasacaballos) to the Magdalena River in the Bolívar Department in northern
(1988). El Tránsito del Canal del Dique in González, M., Orlando, J. et al. (Eds) ''Caminos Reales de Colombia''/ref> It was built by the Spanish in 1582 but quickly fell into disrepair; it was rebuilt in 1650. However, by the end of the 18th century, it had become impassable except during times of high runoff, and by 1821 it was completely blocked. Thus, trade moved increasingly away from Cartagena to Santa Marta and Sabanilla (a port near the mouth of the Magdalena, later eclipsed by
The Canal del Dique Corporation (Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canal Del Dique Canals in Colombia Canals opened in 1582
The Canal del Dique ( Levee Channel) is a 118 km artificial canal connecting Cartagena Bay (at the corregimiento of Pasacaballos) to the Magdalena River in the Bolívar Department in northern Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. The canal is a bifurcation or artificial arm of the Magdalena River, and its eastern portion forms most of the border between the departments of Bolívar and Atlántico. The port on the Magdalena River is Calamar.
History
The canal was needed since the mouth of the Magdalena River (which provided access into the interior of Colombia) was virtually impenetrable, and Colombia's two main colonial ports ( Cartagena andSanta Marta
Santa Marta (), officially Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta ("Touristic, Cultural and Historic District of Santa Marta"), is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena ...
) had no access to the river.Lemaitre, E.">, Eduardo Lemaitre, Lemaitre, E.(1988). El Tránsito del Canal del Dique in González, M., Orlando, J. et al. (Eds) ''Caminos Reales de Colombia''/ref> It was built by the Spanish in 1582 but quickly fell into disrepair; it was rebuilt in 1650. However, by the end of the 18th century, it had become impassable except during times of high runoff, and by 1821 it was completely blocked. Thus, trade moved increasingly away from Cartagena to Santa Marta and Sabanilla (a port near the mouth of the Magdalena, later eclipsed by
Puerto Colombia
Puerto Colombia is a coastal town and municipality in Atlántico Department, Colombia founded in the mid 1800s. Famous for its "Pier of Puerto Colombia", that at one time was the largest Pier in the world. Duties were later transferred to the l ...
and Barranquilla
Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...
). By 1831 traders in the city began to lobby for the canal's reopening, but repeated efforts to redredge the channel failed and by the end of the 19th century a railroad had replaced it.
George Totten engineer, helped rebuild part of this canal, in the mid-19th century.
In 1923 and 1952, the canal was improved, but use then began to decline due to increased sedimentation of the Magdalena River.
Currently, a modernization of the channel is being considered in order to boost trade in the port of Cartagena.
Since 2013, river diversions have been planned with Dutch company Royal Haskoning DHV to control sediment and water flow along the canal. This has led to creation of a new mangrove wetland area, land building and ecological restoration in the region.
In the literature
The canal figures prominently in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel '' Love in the Time of Cholera''.References
External links
The Canal del Dique Corporation (Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canal Del Dique Canals in Colombia Canals opened in 1582