Due to the lack of water and grass due to the drought in Zapotillo, province of Loja, cattle and crops are lost

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In the Zapotillo canton, Loja province, the lack of water and pasture has already claimed the lives of several animals. And those who dared to sow are on the verge of completely losing their crops.

While in other sectors of the province they are thinking about work to mitigate the impact of the winter storm, in said locality they face the other side of the climate: the drought that plagues the canton is charging a high value to livestock and agriculture. It hasn’t rained for almost two months.

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In parishes such as Paletillas, Bolaspamba, Mangahurco and Cazaderos (well known for the flowering of guayacanes), the situation becomes unsustainable, but its residents cling to fight as they have been doing every year. However, they ask for government help.

Mercedes Farfán, president of the parish government of Mangahurco, recalled that since December 13 of last year, when the first rainfall occurred in the sector and the flowering of the guayacanes occurred (which is taken as an indicator of the beginning of winter) , to date it has not rained again.

Only in the upper part of the parish the previous Saturday there was some rain, which motivated farmers in the area to plant corn, however, the rainfall was absent.

“In the lower part of Mangahurco there has been no rain, which seriously affects farmers and ranchers,” said Farfán.

He also explained that the existing shallow wells on the banks of the creek are already drying up, which puts the corn, watermelon, pepper, melon and fruit crops at risk, which serve for the food sustainability of the inhabitants.

Due to the problem that has intensified in recent years due to climate change, he said, they coordinate actions with the provincial and municipal governments to carry out the corresponding studies that allow for a true solution, which would be drilled wells, with which farmers and ranchers could continue working.

“The situation is critical, before people migrated to the city, but there are no jobs in the city either,” said the official.

Farfán indicated that the farmers expect it to rain, but there is already a delay of almost two months and it should be considered that they have already acquired seeds and supplies for planting.

Meanwhile, with regard to ranchers, “livestock losses are already occurring, especially cattle, since there is no water,” said the president of the parish government of Mangahurco.

Some peasants must move with their cattle in sections of up to two hours of walking so that they can access a water source.

Farfán mentioned that just as there is no water, there is also no grass to feed the cattle.

He cited that at the moment about a dozen animals have already died in the parish alone, because ranchers go to the parish government to indicate the harsh reality that their hungry animals are going through.

There are specimens that fell and did not get up again, even reproducers have been lost, which is more worrying.

In the case of farmers, many have loans with BanEcuador, for which they ask the entity to carry out inspections to verify the situation they are going through.

Farfán reported that in January they met with Mayor Efrén Vidal and informed him of the problem. They requested, he said, that the emergency be declared in the canton, especially in Bolaspamba, Mangahurco, Cazaderos and Paletillas, because they are parishes that do not benefit from the Zapotillo irrigation canal and suffer the consequences of the drought.

Vicente Encalada, a rancher from the Paletillas parish, has been forced to transport his animals in trucks to the Palmales sector, Arenillas canton, El Oro province, because it does not rain in his parish and there is no grass or water for them to survive. .

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Many ranchers in your area are turning to this practice in the hope of fattening up their cattle and selling them, because they have no other alternative.

In the Cazaderos parish, the members of the Paladines family have been forced to extract water from deep wells to bring water to their animals using buckets and look for the few green shoots to feed them. (I)