HEAVY RAINS ISOLATE QUITO FROM ECUADOR'S COAST

UNCLAS QUITO 000127 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ELTN ETRD ECON EC SUBJECT: HEAVY RAINS ISOLATE QUITO FROM ECUADOR'S COAST Ref. A) 08 Quito 267, B) 08 Quito 225, C) 08 Quito 160 ¶1. Heavy rains in February washed out sections of the roads that connect Quito to Ecuador's coast. The three northern-most roads that link the highlands (Sierra) to the coast were all blocked over the weekend of February 14. The main coastal-highland highway that connects Quito to Santo Domingo (and from there to the major coastal cities) was washed out the evening of Friday, February 13, 2009. Apparently debris blocked a culvert that carried water from a large waterfall under the road, so the water washed over the road, badly eroding the ground under the road, causing most of it to collapse. According to media reports, one (risky) lane was opened on February ¶17. ¶2. Additionally, the heavy rains caused washouts and landslides along two other routes that connect Quito and the northern highlands to the northern province of Esmeraldas. One of those roads, which passes the growing tourist destination around Mindo, had been blocked when another culvert failed and the road was washed out. Authorities built a by-pass around the damaged area for light vehicles, but trucks were banned. The road was again blocked over the weekend by landslides. ¶3. These simultaneous road blockages brought traffic between Quito and the coast to a standstill, stranding approximately 6000 vehicles. While it is still possible to access the coast via roads farther to the south, these routes are considerably longer, inadequate for heavy truck traffic, and inconvenient for travel between the northern highlands and northern coast. Agricultural production in the coast and highlands is complementary, and the lack of truck access is leading to food shortages in both regions. Storekeepers told journalists that they would raise prices if access was not restored quickly. ¶4. The Ministry of Public Works has plans to install bridges on the Santo Domingo road that officials said would allow traffic to resume within a week. These will only be able to accommodate light vehicles, however, and will not be able to support the trucks that use these routes. Ministry officials state that it will take 1-2 months to restore the roads to full functionality. Meanwhile, it appears that the roads to the coast will be in barely useable condition right before the Carnival holidays, when many Quitenos traditionally drive to the northern beaches. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: In early 2008, heavy rains caused major damage in the coastal region as well as some damage to roads in the highlands, including the collapse of a major interchange in Quito--again because of a failed water tunnel under the road (reftels b-c). This year has again seen heavy rains, with the first major casualty being the roads linking the coast and the highlands. Last year's rain helped contribute to an upsurge in inflation (ref a); it remains to be seen what additional damage will come from this year's rain but the current road problems will probably only have a short inflationary impact. Last year's road damage led to grumbling about the effectiveness of the government's road building/maintenance program, for which it set aside several hundred million dollars. While maintenance of the roads is often the purview of local governments or highway concessionaires, the latest mishaps, which appear to be partially the result of inadequate preventive maintenance, could revive complaints about the central government's expensive infrastructure program. Hodges