By AFP -Agence France Presse
Ecuador declares emergency due to forest fires and water shortages
Ecuador declared a national emergency on Monday due to water shortages, drought, and forest fires that have ravaged more than 10,000 hectares in the south of the country so far this month.
The state of emergency, approved by the Environment Ministry, will be in force for 60 days, the country's emergency management secretariat SNGR said in a statement.
This will allow funds to be released to tackle the multi-faceted crisis, including fires concentrated in the provinces of Azuay and Loja, with 17 outbreaks reported on Monday.
Eight firefighting helicopters - three of them sent by Peru and Italy - were fighting the fires, the SNGR said.
One of the worst fires occurred in the Cajas National Park.
The South American country has been rationing electricity for months due to the worst drought it has faced in six decades.
Last month, scheduled rationing was extended from eight to 14 hours a day.
The low water levels have caused the reservoirs of the hydroelectric plants that cover 70% of national demand to fall to critical levels, causing the country to face an “unprecedented crisis,” according to Energy Minister Ines Manzano.
According to the SNGR, between January and November, Ecuador recorded more than 5,100 forest fires, which caused six deaths and 45 injuries.
The fires consumed around 40,000 hectares of crops and killed more than 44,000 livestock, according to the government.
The authorities suspect arson in some of the fires, with several suspects identified so far, Cristian Zamora, mayor of Azuay's capital, Cuenca, told broadcaster Ecuavisa.
He said that the fires may have been set to clear forest areas for agriculture.
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