We are starting a new project: Updating irrigation systems in the province of Azuay, Ecuador

The province of Azuay is an inland area in the southern half of Ecuador, in the middle of the Andes mountain range, with an average altitude of 2,500 metres above sea level, where small family farms are the basis of life for a large part of the region's population.

These small properties are fed by irrigation canals, which are low-tech infrastructures dating back to the 1960s and do not allow for efficient water management; a problem exacerbated by the deterioration of the land in the form of landslides that have compromised their operability.

At Grup Carles Enginyeria i Sostenibilitat, we are developing a project to repair and upgrade the irrigation systems for the Santa Isabel and Chicticay-Paute canals, which are 40 and 18 km long respectively, to guarantee the water supply to the irrigation communities and enable those responsible for their maintenance to manage them efficiently.

The project, commissioned by the Prefecture of Azuay, has been made possible thanks to international cooperation between the Spanish Ministry of Economy and the Prefecture through the commercial delegation of the Spanish Embassy in Ecuador, with funding from FIEM, the Spanish government's internationalisation fund for Spanish companies.

In the last week of May, a delegation from Grup Carles arrived in Cuenca, the capital of Azuay, to carry out field work to inspect the state of the facilities, hold technical coordination meetings with the prefecture's infrastructure technicians, and receive first-hand information on the needs of the affected irrigation communities.

As emphasised by the Prefect of Azuay, the highest authority in the region, during the reception held on the first day with the delegation, this is considered a strategic project due to its high social impact, its link to environmental preservation and the proper management of water resources, in a clear commitment to sustainability.

The location of the project, in an area of dense vegetation at high altitude that makes it difficult to access, combined with the technical uniqueness of the infrastructure to be renovated and the fact that we are technically undertaking a project in a country with a different technological and regulatory framework, make this project a real challenge that we are eager to make a success.

We will keep you informed of its progress. Would you like to start a project? Contact us.