Declare emergency at Coca Coda dam, expert urges; Construye decries assassination coverup; Ecuador’s economy grows; Solca resumes service to IESS

Environmental engineer Inty Grønneberg is urging the government to declare an emergency on the Coca River as well as at the Coca Coda Sinclair hydroelectric plant. “Like many other problems in the country we are only putting out fires in regard to this facility and the damage it is causing,” he said. “We must immediately consider this a national emergency or risk massive energy failures for years to come, not to mention horrendous environmental damage.”

Grønneberg insists that the “catastrophic damage” caused by erosion on the Coca River must be addressed as well as operational issues at the dam. “The erosion, which had advanced by almost 1,000 meters in the past two weeks must be addressed since it is causing an environmental catastrophe,” he said.

Erosion of the banks of the Coca River, upstream from the Coca Coda Sinclair hydroelectric plant, should be addressed immediately, says environmental engineer Inty Grønneberg.

“The sedimentation issue that the government talks about is a result of soil conditions and erosion and should not be addressed in isolation. The electric authority and the energy minister tell us that the problem is solved when the intake pools are cleaned but it will never be solved until we deal with the larger erosion issue and the fact that the studies done before construction of the dam did not consider the upstream soil type, which has led to the siltation problems.”

The erosion, which involves the collapse of riverbanks, in only 6.8 kilometers from the dam, Grønneberg says. “Four years ago, the point of erosion was almost 20 kilometers away. Why isn’t anyone paying attention?” he asked.

He added that problems at Coca Coda and on the Coca River are the result of government corruption during the construction of the project. “Those who were responsible for reviewing plans and engineering reports were too busy lining their pockets with cash. They and the Chinese contractor who paid them off are perpetrators of this environmental crime.”

Construye National Assemblywoman claims assassination coverup
National Assemblywoman Ana Galarza has joined the family of Fernando Villavicencio in claiming that there is a political coverup of the assassination. “Correismo and the ADN party [National Democratic Action] have joined forces to protect the masterminds of the murder,” she said Thursday. “They wanted Fernando dead because he denounced micropolitics, by which both organizations benefited.”

Galarza, a member of the Construye movement founded by Villavicencio, called the National Assembly report on the assassination “criminally absurd.” “They say this was a ‘common crime’ yet all the evidence tells us that it was politically motivated,” she said. “We have the tapes in which members of the Assembly talk about ‘silencing’ Fernando. How in hell can the evidence be ignored?”

Galarza compared the Assembly report to the coverup of the murder of General Jorge Gabela in 2010 in the Dhruv helicopters cases. “When the general revealed corruption in that contract, the government, including Rafael Correa, covered up the evidence. Then, after he was murdered, they conducted another coverup and called it a ‘common crime.’”

Galarza and fellow Construye Assembly members are preparing a “minority report” on the assassination she says will “reveal the truth.”

Deputy Government Minister Esteban Torres and ADN Assemblywoman Valentina Centeno dismissed Galarza’s claims as “wild speculation.”

Ecuador’s economy shows modest growth
Defying predictions of contraction, Ecuador’s economy grew at a modest rate of 1.2% in the first quarter of 2024. The country’s Central Bank credited the growth to a reduction of imports, an improved balance of inventories and strong sales in the oil, mining, pharmaceutical and food sectors.

Several international banking and auditing services, including the World Bank, had predicted Ecuador’s economy would contract by 1% to 1.5%.

According to the Central Bank, import reduction was the result of reduced demand for refined petroleum products, consumer vehicles and transportation equipment and vehicles.

Solca resumes service to IESS referrals
The government and the private cancer treatment service Solca reached an agreement late Friday under which Solca hospitals will resume serving cancer patients referred by Ecuador’s Social Security (IESS) health system. Solca suspended receiving new referrals last week from IESS due to non-payment of debts.

Under the agreement, IESS transferred funds to Solca hospitals in Guayaquil, Quito and Cuenca, representing a reduction of the total debt by about 20%. According to government Administration Secretary Arturo Félix, a payment plan for the balance of the debt will be announced next week