Azuay Province prepares for the coming El Niño; Police arrest gun-wielding ‘debt collectors’; Marisol Peñaloza is Cuenca’s new mayor; City and bus owners talk

Azuay Province faces a “complicated and complex challenge” in preparing for the coming El Niño, Azuay Prefect Juan Cristóbal Lloret said Tuesday. Lloret chairs the provincial Emergency Operations (COE) that is making plans for the El Niño weather system that is expected to arrive as early as November.

Because of Azuay’s wide range of elevation, the province could experience both flooding and drought of historic proportions, Lloret says. “We go as high as 4,600 meters (15,100 feet) and as low as 200 meters (660 feet), so we must prepare for extremes that challenge our emergency response abilities,” he says.

Marisol Peñaloza assumed Cuenca mayoral duties Wednesday.

According to Ecuador’s Meteorological Institute, there is the “probability of a very strong El Niño beginning at the end of the 2026 and continuing into the early months of 2027.” Several international weather agencies, including NOAA in the U.S., suggest the developing El Niño could be strongest in the last 100 years.

Among the provincial and national agencies attending the COE meetings are the National Police, cantonal fire departments, the Ministry of Health and the armed forces.

The COE has identified seven cantons and twelve parishes as most at risk for flooding and drought, including Camilo Ponce Enríquez, Cuenca, Girón, Nabón, Oña, Pucará and Santa Isabel. It has also identified 421 kilometers of highways and roads and16 bridges at highest risk for flooding and landslides.

Marisol Peñaloza is Cuenca’s new mayor
Marisol Peñaloza assumed Cuenca mayoral duties Wednesday, replacing Cristian Zamora whose political rights were suspended for six months for “political gender violence.” The former deputy mayor, Peñaloza pledged to “carry out the enormous responsibilities of the mayor’s office, working for the unity, institutional stability and the well-being of the city.”

Zamora’s appeal of his suspension was denied last week when the Contentious Electoral Tribunal, which upheld an earlier ruling that his social media comments about city Councilwoman Diana González amounted to “gender violence.”

Peñaloza will serve as mayor until January, when Zamora will resume his duties.

Police arrest gun-wielding ‘debt collectors’
Police arrested two men Tuesday night for threatening a Cuenca historic district shop owner with firearms. According to a police spokesman, the men fired shots into the air after they were unable to collect an alleged debt from the owner on Calle Antonio Borrero.

The spokesman said the assailants were located and captured within minutes after the incident. The suspects are currently in custody awaiting conclusion of a police investigation and a court appearance.

City in talks with bus owners
Cuenca city councilman Paúl Pañi says he is “optimistic” that the full nighttime schedule of bus service can soon be restored. Pañi, who chairs the Cuenca Mobility Commission, said talks are under way with the Chamber of Transport, which represents city bus owners.

“The disruption of night service is a burden for many city residents, affecting their livelihoods and education,” he said Wednesday. “We need to resume full service as soon as possible to end this hardship.”

Since June 8, many bus owners have ended bus service at 7 p.m. The Chamber of Transport says its members are losing money due to rising diesel prices, higher taxes and lack of action by the municipality to raise fares to an adequate level. It says it will maintain earlier operating hours until it “gets relief” from the city.