No coca farms found on northern border, army says; Mayor orders removal of unused cables; Prison spy drone shot down; Generators increase pollution

In what was described as a “thorough review” of Ecuador’s border region with Colombia, no evidence of coca cultivation was found, according to an armed forces report. Last month, Daniel Noboa claimed that 2,000 hectares of coca crops had been identified in the area.

In addition to ground operations, the armed forces in collaboration with the National Police, said it performed “multiple overflights” south of the order with both manned and unmanned aircraft. “We located a number of agricultural operations that appeared suspicious but subsequent ground checks found no coca in cultivation,” the military command said in a statement.

Authorities say that a drone shot down Tuesday over the Turi prison was on a spy mission.

In response to media questions, the presidential press office said it “respected” the findings of the survey and said that Noboa was reporting information provided by the U.S. government. “The president’s statement was based on surveillance conducted by the U.S. drug agency,” a spokesman said.

Mayor orders removal of unused utility cables
Cuenca Mayor Cristian Zamora announced Tuesday that he has ordered television and internet service providers to remove unused cables attached to electric utility poles. “If this is not done voluntarily, these wires will be unilaterally removed by Centrosur,” he said.

In a statement, Zamora said that underground cable ducts have been installed in many parts of the city but have gone largely used. “It is easier for the companies to hang their connections from the poles, but this will no longer be tolerated,” he said. He added that most of the above-ground cables are unused, deactivated after customers cancelled accounts but have not been removed by service providers.

Prison spy drone shot down at Turi
The National Police and armed forces shot down a drone circling the Turi prison, south of Cuenca, on Tuesday. Carlos Rivadeneira, Azuay district police chief, said that an inspection of the drone wreckage confirmed that it was conducting surveillance of the prison. “The craft was operating a high-definition camera common in such missions,” he said, adding the drone was similar to one shot down over La Roca prison in Guayaquil in September.

Rivadeneira said the 40-pound drone was handed over to investigators who will try to locate its operators.

Generators increase pollution
An analysis by University of the Americas researchers in Quito has found the use of gasoline and diesel generators has almost doubled the levels of carbon monoxide in the city’s air. The study also found large increases of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in areas with a high usage of generators.

A researcher at the University of Azuay environmental research center called the findings “troubling” but said the pollution is “localized” in business districts where a large number of generators are operating simultaneously. “In Cuenca, carbon monoxide readings are highest in the parts of the historic district that have a large number of retail stores,” he said. “In other parts of the city, readings are above average but not in the unhealthy range.”

He added that the biggest complaint from the public regards “noise pollution.”