The Guayas governor’s office is defending its execution of the Guayas dredging project.

Guayaquil’s Mayor, Jaime Nebot (an outspoken opponent of the national government) has made comments in recent days calling the equipment that is being used to dredge the mouth of the Guayas river near Guayaquil too small for the job.

Viviana Bonilla, Guayas’ Governor, says that trial runs have proved that a small craft needs to be used, because a large one could run aground. The National Water Secretariat (Senagua) and the Guayas Prefecture won the contract put out by the city to dredge the river.

The “draguita”, as Nebot called the boat, need to remove 290,000 cubed metres of sediment from the river.

“The ’draguita’ is the boat that needs to be used,” Bonilla countered. “A larger one would get stuck: they’re working with a river depth of two metres.” It is thought that the dredging could help stop the frequent flooding in Guayaquil during the rainy season.
Bonilla, in turn, criticized the Mayor’s handling of waterlogged Monte Sinaí.

She says the city has legalized the land invasions of squatter neighbourhoods like Balerio Estacio and Sergio Toral, and the invasions are expanding.

“The municipality needs to be more active. Who is lying? I speak as a Guayaquileña. We can’t allow the local leadership to say that because that isn’t my jurisdiction, I’m not going to intervene. We need to go in search of a collective good life.”

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