Avoid El Centro today unless you’re in the ‘march for water’; Noboa moves the presidency; Diesel price still among lowest in Latin America; Warning to hikers

Transit police and the Cuenca Citizen Guard are advising motorists to avoid the historic district Tuesday due to the “march for water.” The march begins at 9 a.m. but marchers will begin gathering at San Roque Plaza on Av. Loja and at several other locations — including the San Alfonso church at Simon Bolivar and Borrero — in the historic district as early as 7:30 a.m.

The march and rally at San Fransico Plaza is expected to conclude by about 6 p.m.

President Daniel Noboa’s temporary headquarters in Latacunga is heavily fortified.

March organizers expect 20,000 to 30,000 to participate but say there could be more following President Daniel Noboa’s order to end the diesel fuel subsidy.

To see the march route, click here.

Noboa moves presidency to Latacunga
President Daniel Noboa on Saturday ordered the temporary relocation of executive functions to Latacunga, capital of Cotopaxi Province. Noboa said the move aimed to “get closer to the people to address their needs on the ground.”

As part of the order, Vice President Maria Jose Pinto will temporarily perform her duties in Otavalo, north of Quito.

The relocation announcement came a day after the government raised the price of diesel fuel to $2.80 from $1.80, ending a 50-year subsidy. The increase triggered opposition from transport unions, indigenous groups and labor organizations.

Diesel price still among lowest in Latin America
Despite Saturday’s price hike from $1.80 to $2.80, Ecuador’s diesel fuel is still among the cheapest in Latin America, according to Economy Minister Fausto Ortiz.

By comparison, the price per gallon is $4.25 in Peru, $4.19 in Brazil, $4.23 in Costa Rica, $4.15 in Cuba, $3.31 in El Salvador, $4.07 in Argentina, $4.75 in Uruguay and $5.30 in Mexico.

The only countries in Latin American with a lower per gallon price than Ecuador are Venezuela $0.02; Bolivia $2.04, and Trinidad and Tobago $2.46.

In the U.S., diesel averages $3.77 a gallon.

Warning to Cajas Mountain hikers
Following the death of a veteran hiker, the Cuenca fire department and management of the Cajas National Park are warning the public of the danger of off-trail hiking. Wilson Fernando Bustillos, 67, died September 12, hours after he had been located in the Palmas sector of the park. He and fellow hiker Diego Pacheco, 37, had been lost for six days.

Although Bustillos’ official cause of death was not released, rescuers said he had suffered hyperthermia. Overnight low temperatures in the area where Bustillos was found can reach -15 degrees.

According to a park spokesman, the hikers were exploring a new area and wandered off the established trail. “They were in a zone of deep ravines and crevices and many sheer cliffs and became disoriented despite the fact they had hiked in the Cajas on previous occasions,” he said. He added that elevations in the area reach 4,570 meters (15,000 ft.).

Since 2000, the spokesman said there have been more than 200 rescue missions in the park for lost hikers. Fifteen of the hikers have never been found.