Since the extinct National Secretariat for Water (Senagua) indiscriminately handed out water concessions in the Gualel parish, the threat of landslides has been present in at least 5 neighborhoods, including the central area of the parish, where there are 3 destroyed houses, unfulfilled offers and non-existent contingency planning.
Franco Angamarca Sisalima, president of the Autonomous Decentralized Parochial Government, announced that thirty families have been notified to leave their homes at night —to spend the night in relatives’ homes—, due to the imminent risk of a collapse in San Juan, El Calvario and El Rodeo, places that have been on alert for danger for more than a year. Due to cracking registered in recent months, it is planned to carry out a technical study in San Vicente and Bahín. In addition, the Gualelense community would be notified, through loudspeakers, in the urban area.
The parish authority questioned the role played by the extinct Senagua, which would have delivered more than 1,200 water concessions for irrigation, which has put a large part of the parish at risk. “Due to Senagua’s irresponsibility, only in the El Calvario neighborhood, there are 18 hoses that are leaking water, that is why, with a little rain, we are already in an emergency,” said the official. He added that another of the risk drivers would be the drinking water tank that has not received the necessary maintenance. “Some time ago the drinking water officials from the Municipality arrived, they delivered plants to reforest and nothing else.”
He insisted that the danger is imminent since one meter wide cracks have been registered, which would have caused the fall of three houses and others with serious cracks, but that up to now there is no planning and greater presence of the institutions of the state in the territory. “A few years ago the National Secretary for Risk Management was here, and with that the study could be done; The Minister of Housing was also present, but nothing has materialized so far,” he said.
According to the parish president, the authority that must control the misuse of water for irrigation is the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (Maate), as well as the Agency for Regulation and Control of Water, however, until the date of publication of this journalistic note, they have not been present in the place, despite the fact that more than a year has passed since the study carried out by the SNGR. “A few days ago some technicians arrived to carry out a consultancy for Maate”, in a parish that has 9 irrigation systems.
“Our requests are not listened to,” said Franco Angamarca, while emphasizing the seriousness of the problem, but that, in addition, the governor and all the authorities are aware of the unrest in which the 30 families in Gualel live, the They do not know a contingency or evacuation plan, due to the lack of resources and logistics of the Parish Government. “The Municipal Risk Management Unit does not have an emergency plan. We have neither the money nor the logistics to put up tents and evacuate children and the elderly. They ask us to notify them so that they can sleep with their relatives, and that’s it,” he said.
Finally, the leader of the rural parish of the Loja canton, summoned the authorities of the central government to attend to the request for support, in order to protect the lives of several people, including children, the elderly and people with disabilities; whose permanent order would be being made for a year. (YO)