Officials target unregistered rentals; City to put more utility cables underground; New drought warning issued; U.S. plan discourages migration

Lunes, 5/8/2024

Hola, Todos –

Titular –

Plan evitaría muertes de migrantes hacia EE.UU. (Plan would prevent deaths of migrants on their way to U.S.) – The Embassy of the US presented an initiative called #Piénsalobien (#ThinkWell – #Think hard about it?”). Its objective is to keep migrants from risking their lives by going to the US without a visa. The project publishes stories on social networks told by people who made the trip. <Probably the ones who were unsuccessful in getting into the US.>

Cuenca –

The Operador Nacional de Electricidad (Cenace) warned that this year’s drought could be more severe — and last longer — than the one that caused electric outages in late 2023 and early 2024. (El Mercurio)

Servicios de hospedaje (Lodging services) – The Ministerio de Turismo (MINTUR) Zone 6, announced it is executing operations regarding the regulations for offering lodging by hosts on digital platforms. The controls are being done in coordination with the Municipality of Cuenca and the Policía Nacional to regularize these lodging spaces. According to MINTUR, these locations should obtain registration as tourist lodgings in residential properties. <So don’t be surprised if you arrange to rent that extra room or apartment to some tourist, and a cop shows up to take the tour and collect a key — and slap a “Closed” sticker on your front door when you can’t show them your papers.>

La U. publica artículo sobre ¿Cuánto cuesta reforestar? (The U. publishes article on How much does it cost to reforest?) – The U. of Cuenca published an article on how much it costs to reforest including research by Cristóbol Fernando Huertas Briones and Juan Pablo Iñamgua. According to the researchers, reforestation is necessary to recuperate degraded areas and improve provision of oxygen and carbon dioxide capture. According to the Ministerio de Ambiente, Agua y Transición Ecologíca MAATE – Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition), Ecuador loses and average of 47,497 hectares of forest every year, mostly from activities related to agricultural production, mining, oil exploitation, population growth, and natural disasters such as forest fires.

The cost to reforest can vary from $3,770 to $13,603/hectar. While these costs are particular to the site and species used, the publication is a guide for those making the decisions to consider the complexity of reforestation and the importance of monitoring.

Proyecto de ETAPA busca soterrar los cables de telefonía y redes digitales (ETAPA project seeks to bury telephone and digital networks cables) – ETAPA has a project called “Cuenca sin Cables” (Cuenca without cables) which is to put telecommunications networks underground, and built infrastructure for those conduits in the canton. For this the primary and secondary network will be reconstructed due to the program of Central Sur to change posts in sectors such as Checa, Victoria del Portete, Pucaraloma de Tarqui, Av. De Las Américas, Pasaje México, Pío Bravo, Antonio Borrero and more. Also, the telecommunications network will be modernized along with the updating of the fixed phone platform.

Along with the undergrounding of networks, there will be laying conduits and building pozos de revisión (manholes? Christy boxes?) for inspection in the historic center on streets such as Sangurima, Padre Aguirre, and Mariscal La Mar. Other work will include maintenance and recuperation of cameras in Nulti parish, and Mariano Cueva and Juan Jaramillo Streets; construction of home service connections; maintenance and recuperation of manholes and more. <I think I’m trying to translate an article where the reporter didn’t understand a word of whatever the engineer told him.>

Nacional –

El estiaje y el clima, amenazas de agosto (Drought and weather, threats in August) – A technical report anticipates a scenario of another drought crisis which will start this month. High temperatures will also automatically increase the use of water. Pichincha saw high temperatures of 28° in various cities and Quito reached 24° during the daytime. In Guayaquil, however, there is high consumption of electricity due to keeping the air conditioning on. The Operador Nacional de Electricidad (Cenace) warned that the next drought this year will be the most severe — it will last longer and start sooner than expected. An environmental engineer said that people need to be conscious of saving water and energy. This will be important in agosto y septiembre to avoid shutoffs. <So save the water you run until your shower gets hot and use it to flush the toilets and water the plants.> <Only shower when your family and friends tell you that you stink.>,

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). If information is incorrect, it is the responsibility of El Mercurio. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.