Emergency for flood-damaged roads, electric plants; 2nd vaccine doses continue but 1st doses slow; Park corridor established; Cuenca ex-mayor investigated

May 20, 2021 | 0 comments

Miércoles, 19/5/2021

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

De la pagina cultural –

Debates sobre economías creativas (Discussions on creative economies) – Resiliart 2021 is a series of 3 discussions on creative economies in Ecuador, to recognize and look for sustainable development for cultural expression in the country. It is being organized by the Casa de la Cultura Núcleo del Azuay and the office of UNESCO in Quito. The first debate will be el 21/5 a las 16:00 on Facebook Live of the CCE Núcleo Azuay and the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja. Participants will include Ana González from UNESCO; José Flores, a specialist in economy and culture; Mariana Andrade, president of COPAE; and Luis Garcés from Ecuador Libre.

Otras cosas –

Road crew finishes clearing flood debris on Descanso – Paute highway. (El Mercurio)

Titular – Azuay en emergencia vial (Azuay in road emergency) – The provincial COE (Comité de Operaciones de Emergencia) asked for a state of emergency for the national roads and watersheds that feed the rivers in Cuenca after the Paute and Cuenca rivers overflowed, flooding at least 10 houses and the Central Termoeléctrica El Descanso. All 4 of Cuenca’s rivers flow into the río Cuenca. When the water goes down, the manager of Elecaustro said damage to the Central Termoeléctrica, built in 1995 after the Josefina disaster, could be determined. Vehicles were trapped in El Descanso and the access to the Guangarcucho bridge was closed due to undermining of one of the banks. <And that’s why you need to stay away from the riverbanks – you can’t see they’ve been undercut even when you’re standing on top of it. You’ll probably find out when it gives away and throws you into the maelstrom.>

An owner of a house that was flooded in El Descanso said that about 5:00 the water started coming into the patio, and an hour later, it was a meter deep. The chief of the Cuenca Bomberos (Fire Department) said they rescued about 20 people who were trapped in the water in El Descanso and Guangarcucho. Cantons in Azuay such as El Pan and Sevilla de Oro were left without electrical service and 3,000 people in Victoria del Portete don’t have water service. <All of us who aren’t underwater, have not had to evacuate, and still have water and power need to just say “Thank you” for being so blessed.>

Segunda dosis continúan sin interrupción (Second doses continue without interruption) – The Coordinación de Salud is asking the citizenry to pay attention to messages from CNT. Second doses are being given normally with appointments given by text message or email according to the date of your first dose. If you don’t get a message, and you got a Pfizer vaccination, you need to go to a vaccine center 21 days after your first shot. Sinovac vaccinees <Is that a real word? It’s a lot shorter than writing , those who received Sinovac shots.> should get their 2nd shot 28 days after the first, and for AstraZeneca the second dose is up to 84 days after the first. Vaccinations centers are at the bicentennial campus of the U. of Azuay (UDA) behind the colegio Borja and at the Poliforo de la Unversidad Católica de Cuenca. There has been confusion about the 2nd site since messages from the CNT sent people to the Poliforo de la Universidad de Cuenca, a building that doesn’t exist. <CNT also sent me for my 2nd dose a week early. Not the most reliable messenger.> At the moment, 1st doses are only going to people with disabilities and catastrophic diseases in the coliseo at the colegio Manuela Garaicoa. The delay in the delivery of vaccines from overseas is causing a pause in scheduling people who have not been vaccinated.

Gobierno crea corredor Sangay-Podocarpus (Government creates Sangay-Podocarpus corridor) – The Ministerio del Ambiente y Agua (MAAE – Ministry of the Environment and Water) and the Centro de Interpretación Ambiental Tinajillas in Limón Indanza canton have created a connecting corridor between the Sangay and Podocarpus national parks as a special area to conserve biodiversity in the Sistema Nacional de Áreas protegidas y de Patrimonio Forestal (National System of Protected Areas and Forest Heritage). The corridor is in the provinces of Azuay, Morona Santiago, Loja and Zamora Chinchipe. It has an area of 567,000 hectars with Andean forests, páramos and wetlands. The importance of the corridor is in its ecosystems, cultural aspects, and provision of environmental services such as supplying water to around 336,000 people who inhabit the zone of influence. It is also used for hydroelectric projects such as Paute Integral. <We’re also blessed to live in a country with environmental consciousness.>

Paúl Granda afirma que la Fiscalía investiga por Twitter (Paúl Granda affirms that the Prosecutor’s Office investigates by Twitter) – Paúl Granda, the ex-president of the board of directors of IESS has been called to trial for the for the crime of organized crime allegedly committed in purchases made in the first months of the pandemic. Granda <Do you remember him? Ex-mayor of Cuenca? The guy whose legacy project was the Tranvía?> defended himself saying that the judges and prosecutors have acted under pressure in social networks, and have violated his right to a defense and the presumption of innocence. He also said judges used forged evidence and witnesses who were pressured by civil agents to accuse him. He added that as president of IESS he did not authorize or sign contracts. The Fiscalía (Prosecutor’s office) said it had presented abundant elements of conviction about the meetings Granda had with Daniel Salcedo and others being investigated and an economic analysis of allegedly irregular payment arrangements.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne

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