Análisis y evaluación de la línea de conducción para el sistema regional Chiriyacu desde la captación hasta las parroquias del Cantón Pedro Moncayo

Abstract

The Research Report aims to conduct an analysis and evaluation of the transmission pipeline for the Chiriyacu Regional System, from the water intake to the parishes of Pedro Moncayo Canton. Water resource management has gained global relevance in recent years. There is growing concern regarding the proper administration and distribution of water, the maintenance of water quality, and the conservation of associated ecosystems. In Ecuador, we have recognized this challenge and are making significant progress to ensure that this national asset guarantees the human right to water and sanitation, food sovereignty, ecological flow, and productive activities of various kinds, all with equity and sustainability. Article 318 of the Ecuadorian Constitution prohibits all forms of water privatization and mandates that water management must be exclusively public or community-based. It also states that sanitation services, potable water supply, and irrigation may only be provided by state or community legal entities. Furthermore, the State, through the single Water Authority, is directly responsible for planning and managing water resources intended for human consumption and irrigation, prioritizing food sovereignty, ecological flow, and productive activities. Authorization from the State is required for productive use of water by the private sector or the popular and solidarity economy, as stipulated by law. The Decentralized Autonomous Government of Pedro Moncayo Canton, through the Municipal Public Company for Drinking Water, Sewerage, and Basic Sanitation of Pedro Moncayo (EP EMASA PM), provides water and sanitation services. It is responsible for managing, capturing, treating, operating, and monitoring the regional system from the Chiriyacu water source to its distribution across the five parishes.The water source for human consumption is located approximately 3.5 km from the Chiriyacu Lagoon, situated in the lake zone of the Mojanda páramos (highlands). This area acts as a recharge zone and provides water to the populated centers of the five parishes. Due to the commercial floriculture (especially roses) in the Tabacundo Parish, population growth has increased water demand, resulting in supply shortages in several areas. This has forced EP EMASA PM to redistribute water flows in order to provide a semi-continuous service across Pedro Moncayo Canton, especially in Tabacundo, where demand exceeds supply. To manage this, control valves in the central plant’s storage tanks are closed at night to allow them to refill, enabling water service during the day and returning to shortage conditions at night. The availability of both surface and groundwater in the five parishes determines the water supply capacity. The intake also depends on rainfall levels in the Mojanda Lagoons recharge area and the terrain’s absorption capacity, which allows aquifer recharge toward the Chiriyacu source.