In Ecuador, the land is thirsty, and the forests are burning. On Monday, November 18, the Emergency Operations Council declared a state of national emergency to address drought and fires. The measure was taken for a period of sixty days. According to the risk management secretariat, “17 fires are active and 5 others are under control”. The most serious affect the provinces of Azuay and Loja, in the south of the country.
Ecuador is experiencing its worst drought in sixty years. From official sources, the country has recorded more than 5,000 forest fires since the start of 2024. They left 6 dead and 45 injured, destroyed more than 40,000 hectares and killed thousands of domestic animals. In September, the capital, Quito, was invaded by smoke from the fires surrounding it. According to the authorities, the water deficit is responsible for the very serious energy crisis facing the country. Power cuts which reached fourteen hours a day in October still last up to twelve hours. They affect the daily lives of citizens, the country's economy, and complicate firefighting.
The declaration of a state of emergency should make it possible to mobilize more public resources to fight the fires. The municipality of Quito had, as of Saturday, dispatched two reinforcement brigades specialized in fighting fires to Azuay and Loja. Since Tuesday, eight helicopters equipped with flexible tanks have been at work. Four were made available by the air force, another by the army. Peru, also a victim of forest fires, provided two, and the Italian embassy is paying for a private helicopter. On the ground, firefighters and volunteers work tirelessly.
The authorities estimate that, since 1is November, nearly 10,000 hectares of forests burned in the two southern provinces. The Cajas natural park, the largest in the country after that of the Galapagos Islands 1,000 kilometers from the Ecuadorian coast, has been on fire for eight days. “More than 7,000 of the 29,000 hectares of Cajas Park have already burned, deplores Ernesto Arbelaez, president of the ecological organization Amaru. Bears, mountain tapirs and condors are threatened by flames and smoke. It will take decades for ecosystems to recover. » Barely extinguished, the fires start again. “They are out of control. Local goodwill is not enough. We need international help”says Mr. Arbelaez in a video broadcast on the social network X.
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