Seven Azuay Cantons Are on the Yellow-Alert List for Possible El Niño Impacts
Cuenca Expat Staff
Azuay is now part of Ecuador's preventive yellow-alert map for possible El Niño impacts.
El Mercurio reports that the Secretaria Nacional de Gestion de Riesgos (SNGR) identified 12 susceptible points across seven Azuay cantons in a May 19, 2026 report.
The Azuay Places Listed
The list includes:
- Camilo Ponce Enriquez
- In Cuenca, the parishes Chaucha and Molleturo
- Giron and the parish La Asuncion
- In Nabon, the parish El Progreso
- In Ona, the parish Susudel
- In Pucara, the parishes Pucara and San Rafael de Sharug
- Santa Isabel, including Abdon Calderon and El Carmen de Pijili
What The Alert Means
El Mercurio reports that the yellow alert is a preventive preparation mechanism, not a declaration that El Niño itself has already occurred. The resolution applies to areas up to 1,500 meters above sea level that show greater susceptibility to possible impacts.
Nationally, the alert covers 17 provinces, 143 cantons and 491 parishes.
For Cuenca residents, the most local part is the inclusion of Chaucha and Molleturo, both west of the urban area and tied to mountain-road and rural-access concerns when weather turns ugly.
Source: El Mercurio
