Ecuadorian authorities leave 66.386 families without water and electricity service due to lack of payment

The entities began the service cuts since last December 1.

The payment of basic services continues to be an odyssey for many families in Ecuador, who prefer to allocate most of their resources to cover the expenses of food, housing and education. The public companies in charge of providing water and electricity services started the cuts for non-payment, from December 1.

With the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and the state of emergency, many people lost their jobs due to the different economic crises of the companies or institutions where they provided their services. Therefore, the income they received each month to cover household expenses was reduced.

Until November 12, the companies in charge of providing basic services such as water and electricity could not suspend the supply, due to the declaration of the Humanitarian Support Law, which was in force for up to 2 months after the end of the state of emergency.

For its part, the National Electricity Corporation (CNEL) in charge of providing electricity service in the provinces of Bolívar, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo and Sucumbíos, began with the cuts for non-payment since January 4.

In Quito, the Metropolitan Public Water and Sanitation Company (Epmaps-Agua de Quito) resumed on December 1 the suspension of service to users who had a debt with the entity.

The first cuts due to non-payment left 66.386 families without basic water and electricity services. The companies argue that the debt of all users amounts to around USD 112 million

On the other hand, the Quito Electric Company (EEQ) in charge of covering Pichincha and various sectors of: Napo, Imbabura and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas will begin with supply cuts from this Monday, February 1, 2021.

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