Noboa extends the New Year’s holiday; Rain replenishes rivers and reservoirs; Prison protest blocks highway; New complaints of fuel shortage
President Daniel Noboa has decreed that Thursday and Friday, January 2 and 3, will be national holidays. The order creates a five-day New Year’s holiday from January 1 to 5. Noboa also ordered the 15% value added tax reduced to 8% for 
tourism-related purchases during the period.
According to the decree, the holidays represent “non-recoverable employment,” meaning workers will be paid but will not be required to make up holiday hours.
President Daniel Noboa has, by decree, added two days to the New Year’s holiday.
Tourism Minister Mateo Estrella, who had recommended the holiday extension and reduced VAT, said Ecuadorians are ready for an extended holiday. “This has been a difficult time and people are ready to relax and enjoy themselves at the beginning of a new year,” he said.
Rain replenishes rivers and reservoirs
For the first time in more than four months, the Paute River returned to a normal flow level Saturday following four days of rain. The Paute, which collects the flow of three of Cuenca’s four rivers, is the main tributary for the Mazar reservoir that powers Ecuador’s largest hydroelectric complex.
On Saturday night, engineers at the Paute-Mazar complex reported the level of the Mazar reservoir had risen to 2,114.5 meters above sea level, its highest level since August but far below is optimum operational level of 2,153 meters.
Because of rising water level, the three downstream generation stations were producing about 20% of the country’s electricity on Saturday.
Last week’s rain near the Coca Coda Sinclair hydroelectric facility east of Quito, have boosted power production to 29% of total usage.
The national weather agency is predicting more rain through Thursday.
Prison protest blocks highway between Amazon and Quito
The highway connecting the Amazon region to Quito was blocked for a second day on Friday by protesters opposing the construction of a new high-security prison. Traffic was backed up for more than two kilometers in Archidona in both directions as local residents only allowed the passage passages for emergency vehicles.
Protesters say the area is not appropriate for a so-called “mega prison” proposed in February by President Daniel Noboa. “This construction site is close to schools and residences which would be endangered by the prison,” Archidona cantonal councilman Wilson Morales. “We are not opposed to the prison but object to its location. In his original statement, the president assured us that the facility would built in a remote location, away from populated centers, but the site he selected does not meet that criteria.”
Morales noted that a second high-security prison in Santa Elena Province, which is nearing completion, is in a desert region, kilometers away from communities. “Why did we not get the same consideration?” he asked. “These prisons will house the most dangerous criminals in the country and they should not be near populated areas.”
New complaints of fuel shortage
Fuel distributors claim their tanker trucks are waiting as long as 12 hours at the Pascuales terminal in Guayaquil to fill up with diesel and Ecopaís gasoline. As a result, some coastal service stations are turning away customers.
Ivo Rosero, president of the Chamber of Petroleum Distributors, said tankers were forced to take shifts, waiting for fuel and many were only receiving partial loads. “Petroecuador is putting quotas on truck fill-ups and providing no information about when normal operations will resume,” he said. On Thursday, Rosero said that only 39% of demand for diesel and Ecopaís was met at Pascuales.
On Friday, local distributors said operations were normal at the Challuabamba fuel terminal in Cuenca, which connects to Pascuales by pipeline. Two weeks ago, shortages of diesel were reported in Cuenca due to damage to the pipeline that has since been repairs.
Requests by news media for comments from Petroecuador went unanswered on Thursday and Friday.
