Families from three neighborhoods were affected by a huge hole.
Zaruma, THE GOLD
Families affected by the sinkhole that occurred last Wednesday, December 15, will be able to access a housing plan prepared by the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing (Miduvi) and the Mayor’s Office of Zaruma. This last institution made the donation of the land where the housing project will be built.
The Minister of Housing, Darío Herrera, visited the affected area of the Zaruma canton, where four heritage houses have collapsed.
According to the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES), 300 people are affected, corresponding to 82 families who lived around Colón, Ernesto Castro and 9 de Octubre streets.
Three sectors at risk have been identified in the center of Zaruma due to illegal mining
“The National Habitat and Housing Plan contemplates the regeneration of public space, an issue on which we will work with the support of the sectional authorities. Government institutions are committed to caring for the victims of the emergency in Zaruma ”, said the Minister of Housing.
It was reported that the city of Zaruma will be included as a priority city in the National Plan for the Rehabilitation of Public Spaces to recover the places affected by the sinkholes that affect the urban area of the mining canton.
“We carried out a reconnaissance to carry out a project in the sector where there is the affectation by the sinkhole, we want to analyze emerging measures that allow propping up the side walls, in addition to collecting information from the ground,” explained Colonel Enrique Morales, of the Army Corps of Engineers .
Socavón in Zaruma: a problem that not only concerns illegal mining
The Army Corps of Engineers is in the initial process of technical lifting using the lateral shoring approach. The plan is to create a resistant structure that allows to guarantee the stability of houses around the sinkhole by stopping the advance of the subsidence.
The Vice Minister of Mines, Xavier Vera, pointed out that this emerging action must be carried out in the shortest possible time, making use of the engineering experience of the participants of the technical table, to be able to act using and updating the previous studies and the technical material available for that it does not take more time than is necessary in its execution.
For its part, the Agency for the Regulation and Control of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources, together with the representatives of the entities that make up the ‘Crimes against Non-Renewable Resources’ work table, carried out monitoring of illegal mining activities and together Military personnel are patrolled to avoid mining in the exclusion zone.
According to a report from the Armed Forces, while the verification of compliance with the security measures in the adjoining concessions was being carried out. Five mines have been inspected and one was suspended, for the alleged crime of illegal mining. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
