Drought threatens drinking water supply; Landfill to be enlarged, modernized; Ballet dancers needed for Nutcracker; City needs port-a-potties for holidays

Viernes, 16/8/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Convocan a bailerinas para “El Cascanueces” (Call for dancers for “The Nutcracker”) – The Compañía de Danza de la Dirección de Cultura de la Universidad de Cuenca is calling for dancers at least 16 years old to join the cast for The Nutcracker which wil be presented el 19, 20, & 21 de diciembre. Dancers should know classical ballet and have an intermediate level of pointe technique. Auditions wil be el sábado, 31/8 from 11:30 in the Casa de Arte – Museo Universitario in the Sala de Danza. To audition, dancers must comply with certain requirements such as wearing ballet clothing and bring slippers with half points and points. <I’m probably mangling this translation since I know nothing about ballet and am relying on a translation program.> Dancers should come with an adult. Registrations are open until el 29/8 at https:/bit.ly/ElCascanuecesAudicionesUCuenca2024.

Following 35 days with no significant rainfall, Cuenca’s rivers are running low and utility officials are urging residents to conserve water.

Obra adapta un clásico cuento de Pablo Palacio (Play adapts a classic story by Pablo Palacio) – “Art Experience” is launching the play “¿Quién es el hombre muerto a puntapiés?” (Who is the man kicked to death?) which will be performed el viernes, 16 & sábado, 17 de agosto a las 19:30 in el “Festival Kaberet Prohibido” in the El Prohibido Centro Cultural. The work is a theatrical adaptation of the classic story by Pablo Palacio which explores the obsessions and mysteries around a crime. This police thriller has touches of comedy. Cost: $7:00. Call 09 860 6542 for tickets. <If you can’t negotiate the call and get tickets, don’t worry. You probably wouldn’t be able to understand the play anyway.>

Cuenca –

Relleno sanitario, hasta 2035 (Sanitary landfill, up to 2035) – The Empresa de Aseo de Cuenca (EMAC EP) will extend the life of the Relleno Sanitario de Pichacay in Santa Ana Parish until at least 2035. The landfill receives 500 tons of garbage daily. María Carifdad Vásquez, manager of EMAC EP, said the project will enlarge the landfill at a cost of $9 million financed by a loan from the Agencia Fancesa de Desarrollo (AFD). EMAC has been aproved for a loan of $26 million which will allow other important projects for the city. These will include a new EMAC office building on land next to the Brigada de Artillería Portete. There will be an area for the garbage trucks, cleaning vehicles, and workers as well as a park and space for recycling solid wastes.

The area for the expansion will include tubing to extract biogás which is used to produce electricity. With financing from the Agencia de Coopoeración Internacional de Corea (KOICA), a plant with state-of-the-art technology will be built to separate solid wastes and a composting plant which will be the biggest in the country and double the production of compost and humus. Paúl Zavala, an environmental engineer, said the design and management of garbage for Pichacay should be a model for the rest of the country and replicated in other cities.

De El Mercurio del jueves, 15/8 (2 articles):

Sequía provoca racionamientos (Drought leads to rationing) – It has been 35 days without heavy rains in Cuenca which is considered a drought and has already caused rationing. The Junta Administradora de Agua Potable y Saneamiento Proyecto Nero which supplies some 8,200 families (40,000 people) in Turi, El Valle, and Baños started cutting service last martes. This community system is the 2nd largest provider of potable water in Cuenca and has a schedule that includes cuts of up to 12 hours. Their reservoirs are running dry and the capture of water from the río Zhucay has dropped from 70 liters per second to 59.

Verónica Polo, manager of ETAPA, the largest water provider in the city, made a call to save water. Water saving actions include taking short showers, not washing your car, running washing machines with full loads, brushing your teeth with a glass of water, and reusing water used to wash vegetables. The flows in the rivers are low with the Tomebamba flowing at 1.04 cubic meters per second when the normal flow is 6.5; the Yanuncay is flowing at 1.48 cubic meters/sec. with a normal flow at 6; the Tarqui is reduced to 1.54 from 3.5; and the Machángara at 3.15 from 4.5.

Patricio Ochoa, environmental engineer and consultant, explained that these conditions repeat every year, but before they started in octubre and ended in marzo. The season has little or no humidity, high temperatures, and high solar radiation which causes the little water we receive to evaporate. He said the drought has serious impacts on the environment with loss of crops as a main one. He said methods to prevent and confront drought include protection of vegetation, reforestation with native species, and avoiding cultivating on hillsides.

Baterías sanitarias faltan en zonas de alta concurrencia (Lack of toilets in high traffic areas) – <How much more local can an issue be – one San Francisco mayor said something like local government is all about potholes and streetlights – and now, toilets.> The lack of public toilets was a deficiency exposed during the last holiday, especially in zones such as the calle Santa Ana. Visitors used the bathrooms in restaurants and cafeterias. Juan Pablo Juca, a tourist guide, said that until recently, people could use the bathrooms in the Seminario San Luis, but now they are permanently closed. He said that in areas with a high concentration of visitors, the installation of movable toilets should be considered as well as installing them in other tourist destinations such as Turi, Calle Larga and some parks.

He called for the Ministerio de Turismo (Mintur) to inspect gas station bathrooms since some of those do not meet minimum standards. <Some of you old timers probably remember when many bathrooms were missing soap, towels, toilet paper, and even toilet seats.>

Deportes –

De El Mercurio del jueves, 15/8 (1 article):
Las inscripciones para IV Trail Pachamama (Registration open for IV Trail Pachamama) – <If there are any runners out there, this is for you.> The IV edition of the Trail Pachamama 10k will be el domingo 25 de agosto starting at 9:00 from Sidcay on the Panamericana Norte Km. 12. It is open to runners over 20 including disabled people <so probably also open to senior runners>. Until el 16/8, the registration costs $10 and from el 17-23/8 it is $25.00. The kit includes a medal, T-shirt and cap. The first 50 registrants will receive jeans. For more info, call
098 706 9458. <Like where you go to register?>

Descuentos y compras –

ETAFASHION – Back to school – up to 60% off in fashion and footwear- sábado, 17/8 until 12:00 <a sale for you early birds>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne