Water rationing begins in rural areas; Yanuncay hydro plant resumes construction; Ecuador migrants in the US get assistance; EU, Mercosur trade deal pending
Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del martes, 6/1/2026) Proyectan lluvias (Forecast for rain) – A high probability of rain in Cuenca is
predicted for this week according to the daily forecast published by ETAPA EP based on information from The Weather Channel. <So if you’re interested in the weather you can cut out 2 middlemen (the newspaper and me) and just go straight to The Weather Channel.> For miércoles, 7/1, the chance of rain is 67% with storms during the afternoon. The chance of rain on el jueves is 78%, and on viernes it’s 88%. <Time to pull out your umbrella, open it, and make sure the moths (or that new puppy) haven’t eaten holes in it.>
Cuenca’s Rio Tomebamba is running low following six weeks without significant rainfall.
(De El Mercurio del martes, 6/1/2026) En riesgo abastecimiento de agua & Racionamientos en zona rural (Water supply at risk & rationing in rural areas) – 3 rural water systems are at risk. The Proyecto Nero serves 8,000 users in Baños, Turi, and El Valle. Only 30 liters/sec. are coming into the plant when 60 liters is needed. To mitigate the impact, users have been divided into sectors which receive water for 4 hours on alternating days. The Potable Water Boards of Checa with 2,000 users, and Baños with 9.000 users are also dealing with similar situations due to the drought. The flows into the Checa plant have been reduced from 25 to 8 liters per second, but it has been able to provide water from its two 250 cu. meter reserve tanks. The board needs help to rebuild one of the 2 water intakes which was damaged by a slide. If the intake is not fixed, the tanks will not get filled, and the board will need to start rationing in 2 months.
The sources for the 2 plants in Baños are running normally at 25 and 77 liters per second, but the board president said that it will start a campaign in coordination with the Church and schools to promote responsible use of water. <Leads me to think that without a lot of rain, ETAPA will be next to have to either convince users to not waste water or resort to rationing. So be ready to start conserving water. Do whatever you were doing at the end of 2024 and I hope it wasn’t antisocial behavior like taking 30-minute showers twice a day.>
martes, 6/1/2026) Reanudan proyecto Soldados-Yanuncay (Soldados-Yanuncay project resumes) – Marco Antonio Toledo, manager of the Empresa Electrogeneradora del Austro (Elecaustro) announced the resumption of the construction of the Proyecto hidroeléctrico Soldados Yanuncay (PHSY) in the Baños and >San Joaquín parishes. The project will generate electricity, allow water storage during droughts, and reduce the risks of the Yanuncay river overflowing. The project includes a 42-meter-high dam creating a reservoir with a 21 million cubic meter capacity, and 2 power plants in series that can generate 7 and 15 megawatts per second. The anticipated construction period is 4 years. What can be stored behind the dam will supply 40% of the water for Cuenca until 2025 (sic). It will collect water from the páramos, store it, and then transfer it to the Potable Water Treatment plant in Sustag. <And maybe when all this is finished, the little Manuel Ormaza Primary School just before the water plant will finally get internet service.>
The project has been stopped since marzo, 2022 when neighbors in the zone believed that the project would reduce flows in the creeks and the Río Yanuncay as well as causing climate changes. They formed a committee to take legal actions to stop the project which was considered detrimental to the surrounding areas. During last diciembre, Elecaustro assembled teams to start the public information process in enero and febrero and to update the qualifying title from the Government which will allow the construction of the project. Toledo said the project will cost about $92 million and is pursuing a new loan. The original loan offer of $60 million from the Banco del Estado (BEDE>) has expired, and Elecaustro is talking to the Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina (CAF) from which a loan of about $75 is practically pre-approved.
(De El Mercurio del martes, 6/1/2026) Ecuatorianos reciben apoyo en EE.UU. (Ecuadorians receive support in the US) – US Pres. Trump posted a list on Truth Social of the percentage of migrant households who receive social assistance in that country. <I don’t think he was bragging about the generosity of Americans, but inciting people to resent helping others. Jesus wept.> This includes monthly support for purchasing food, medical insurance, health care coverage for children, temporary economic support and food assistance for pregnant women. There are also subsidies for housing, free or low-cost food in public schools, support for transportation and basic education, to pay utilities, and legal support in migration processes and daycare centers. According to Trump, the households most helped come from countries such as Bután (81.4%), Yemen (75.2%), and others. On the list of 119 countries is Ecuador at #28 with 51.2% of immigrant households getting some kind of support from the US Government making it one of the most assisted countries from Latin America. <I wonder how these subsidies stack up against subsidies for corporate farming and tax benefits for corporations and the richest 1%?>
(De El Mercurio del martes, 6/1/2026) Avizoran acuerdo entre UE y Mercosur (Agreement between EU and Mercosur on the horizon) – The executive body of the EU reported “avances” (advances) in the block of member states to approve the trade agreement with Mercosur (Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) and expects the agreement to be signed soon despite discontent from farmers. After 25 years of negotiations, this agreement would create the biggest free trade agreement in the world with 27 member countries. Italy and France halted the signing at the Mercosur meeting in Brazil last diciembre because of the concern from their agricultural sectors.
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.
