World Water Day: Cuenca considers future plans, conservation; 911 animal rescue calls rise; Romantic scam artist victimizes 13; Water therapy, births

Martes, 22/3/2022

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Titular –

El origin de la vida (The origin of life) – This issue of El Mercurio is about water on World Water Day.

Special –

El futuro del agua en manos de los niños (The future of water in the hands of children) – Before 20 years ago, the importance of water was not in the school curriculum, but that has changed. In Cuenca, educational programs about caring for water have been developed in each school, and in the last 5 years, schools have been founded that have a focus on the environment. One of these is the “Cukitos” preschool in San Joaquin where children are not just taught about water, but learn a new life style in which water and the environment are valued. ETAPA initiated an environmental education program in 1998 which was funded in 2004. Each year the curriculum includes care of water sources and the work that needs to be done to insure potable water for the city and canton. The program reaches 2,500 students directly. <And me, as an adult chaperone (?) on one of the field trips arranged by ETAPA into the Cajas and Yanuncay watershed, I even got baptized as a water guardian.>

In the “Cukitos” preschool program in San Joaquin, children learn about water use and the importance of conserving it. (El Mercurio)

Un parto natural que une a madre e hijo (A natural childbirth that brings mother and child together) – Births in water have been practiced in the world for about 20 years, and are slowly gaining more followers because of the benefits to both mother and child. The child can descend smoothly with no trauma from pain during the birth. For the mother, the warm water is a natural analgesic and relaxing. Mother use special inflatable pools with disposable covers. An alternate are inflatable children’s pools. <And the kid can grow into one of those as it gets older – reuse and recycle.> It is recommended that the birth is supervised by a professional. <In other words, do not do this at home without assistance.>

Use terapéutico en auge (Therapeutic use on the rise) – Without water, it is impossible to live. Water is vital for consumption, but is also being used therapeutically. Dr. Mónica Álvarez uses hydrotherapy for her patients with a Spa Jet, a shower system that combines aromatherapy and chromotherapy, and gives water massages to the rhythm of music. Some of her treatments to relieve muscle pain use hot and cold water applied at different times.

Cuidar las fuentes hidrícas constituye reto para población (Caring for water sources is a challenge for the population) – Today is the Día Mundial del Agua, and for Cuenca the challenge is to care for this vital liquid mainly for human consumption. Water consumption per person in Cuenca is an average of 250 liters per day. This is more than double the level recommended (100 l/d per person) by the WHO and UN. For Patricio Zamora, a civil engineer and hydrologist, Cuenca and Azuay should conduct a complete inventory of all their water resources. This will help in designing strategies, plans, and projects to save water in natural and artificial reservoirs for periods of drought. By 2030, the city is projected to have a water deficit of about 350 l/s each year.

Felipe Cisneros, a civil engineer and hydraulics expert said it is urgent to guarantee water in the long run. Cuenca has 4 river basins, the most developed of which is the Machangara, the only one with flow control. There are two dams, the Ladrados and the Chanlud which are used to produce electricity and feed the Tixán potable water plant. The watershed for the Tomebamba is mostly in the Parque Nacional Cajas and it feeds the El Cebollar plant. The watershed of the Yanuncay feeds the Sustag plant, and building the Quingoyacu dam for the Soldados-Yanuncay project is proposed. The last river is the Tarqui which Cisneros estimates has underground water which can be extracted and used.

ETAPA has at least 4 large water projects including damming the Dos Chorreras lake in the Tomebamba watershed. This could supply at least 2 million cubic meters of water.

There are more articles on industrial and productive uses for water including for cultivating orchids, by the Continental Tire company, for agriculture including sophisticated irrigation systems, and reuse of gray water for irrigation.

Cuenca –

Cuidado con “engaños” en redes sociales (Beware of “hoaxes” in social networks) – Reports about Cuencano Henry P., known on Instagram under various names, nationalities, and professions, ratifies the risk of making new friends on social networks. He presented himself to a dentist in Santo Domingo as a German architect and son of a wealthy businessman in Argentina. They met in person, and she went to Brazil for studies and left her car. On her return, they carried on a normal relationship, but on 9/3, he physically assaulted her.

Because of this she discovered she had been scammed along with 12 other women to whom he described himself as an artist, producer, designer, doctor, lawyer, etc., all under different names. She helped him financially when he told her his wealthy family cut him off because they didn’t agree with his sentimental relationships. He said the same thing to the other women who gave him access to their bank passwords and accounts. <What was that song? Smooth Operator?> Patricio Rodas, a systems engineer and security advisor, recommended being careful if after a very short acquaintance, someone starts expressing deep sentiments and asks to get personally close, He also warned social network users to be alert to inconsistencies between what the person says, what their profile shows, and their comments. He said to never give out passwords or personal information and do a web search on the person to see if there were any reports or alerts.

Más auxilios relacionados con animales (More animal-related aids) – So far in 2022, ECU 911 has registered 2,300 emergencies involving animals at some kind of risk. This is a 23% increase compared to the same period of 2021. Calls included those for wild animals outside their habitat, dogs trapped in hard to get to places, and cats that couldn’t get down from high structures. Last year, of the 13,529 calls, the most calls came from Quito (43%), Guayaquil (10%), and Cuenca (8%).

Sucesos –

Encuentran un cadáver en el Cruce del Carmen (Body found in Cruce del Carmen) – The body of a 38 year old man was found on a gravel road in Sinincay in the Cruce del Carmen sector. Initial investigation was done by the Policía Nacional who suspected a traffic accident. The body was taken to the Cento Forense to determine the cause of death. The investigators found a cédula for Segundo Walter N., but no family members came to confirm the identity. Residents of Cruce del Carmen expressed worry about insecurity and listed incidents such as as the robbery of a passerby by the occupants of a pickup, the assault of a woman at a bus stop, and vehicle robberies. They asked for better security.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne