Articles

The new Hospital Municipal de El Valle opened February 1 with 31 specialties, 24/7 emergency care, and an $8 million investment. It serves 78,000+ residents across six rural parishes — many of them popular with expats.

Ecuador's controversial mining reform bill just cleared committee with 8 votes and heads to the National Assembly floor this week. Meanwhile, Cuenca's Cabildo por el Agua is mobilizing at Parque Calderón to demand lawmakers kill the bill. The stakes? Cuenca's water supply.

Mayor Zamora signed a deal to acquire 105 hectares of critical watershed land bordering Cajas National Park. The $180,000 price tag? Funded entirely by ticket sales from the Carnaval Nicky Jam concert. Sometimes the math really does work out.

From Cuenca's first full wastewater treatment plant to potable water expansion in Santa Ana, ETAPA's 2026 plan includes 200 contracts worth $58.4 million. Here's what's actually in the pipeline and why it matters for the city's future.

The City Council approved a one-time exception letting inherited rural properties subdivide below the legal minimum lot size. New floor: 120 square meters. Pilot starts in Llacao, then expands to all 20 rural parishes.

A proposed emergency economic law would force municipalities to spend 70% of their budgets on infrastructure, slashing funding for social services. Azuay's prefecture is among those pushing back hard.

ETAPA just graduated 350 community forest brigaders trained to defend the páramos and watersheds that supply every drop of Cuenca's tap water. After last year's fires scorched thousands of hectares, this volunteer army could be the difference between clean water and crisis.

Azuay province including Cuenca is under orange alert for heavy rains. 336 weather events already this year, 2 deaths, and multiple road closures. Here's what expats need to know.