Ecuadorian Vice Minister delivers water management legal status in Cotopaxi

Ecuadorian Vice Minister of Water Freddy Muñoz has delivered legal status and administrative resolutions to irrigation boards in the Cotopaxi province to strengthen community water management. In Pujilí, the Unión de Juntas de Riego y Drenaje San Juan de Patoa received second-degree legal status, a move expected to benefit more than 3,800 people.

The Union is composed of seven first-degree organizations that manage a flow of 124 liters per second for agricultural and productive activities. The infrastructure supporting this system includes a catchment area, a desander, and three reservoir tanks with a total capacity of approximately 65,000 cubic meters.

In addition to the legal status for the Union, the Ministry issued three water use authorizations for the Los Chilcales, Acequia Salazar, and Buena Esperanza irrigation boards. These authorizations cover 13.2 liters per second for the irrigation of 75.73 hectares. Vice Minister Muñoz also noted that the Ministry is working to address administrative delays caused by personnel shortages by seeking agreements with municipalities, prefectures, and universities.