MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ecuador’s rainy season: 21,089 affected as regional emergency remains in force across eight provinces

Since the start of the year, Ecuador has registered 1,146 weather-related adverse events linked to rainfall across all 24 provinces

Ecuador’s rainy season has left 21,089 people affected since January 1, 2026, with three deaths and 14 injured, according to the latest assessment by the National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR).

Authorities said rainfall has damaged 784.3 hectares of crops, 21.6 kilometres of roads, and 13 bridges, as well as 82 public assets and 60 private properties. The report adds that 11 bridges have been destroyed.

Among the season’s secondary impacts, the SNGR cited a mudslide in the Andean province of Cotopaxi that killed 94,000 trout, while heavy rains also caused the loss of an additional 30,000 trout and fry.

Most affected provinces and event patterns

Guayas accounts for the largest number of affected residents (10,689), followed by Esmeraldas (3,102), El Oro (2,360), Los Ríos (1,855) and Chimborazo (1,099), according to the same update.

Since the start of the year, Ecuador has registered 1,146 weather-related adverse events linked to rainfall across all 24 provinces. The most frequent events are landslides (38.48%), flooding (33.86%) and intense rainfall (11.95%), followed by ground subsidence, water erosion, mudflows and windstorms, the SNGR said.

Alerts and government response

The SNGR is maintaining tiered alert levels for the rainy season, including red alert in Esmeraldas, Los Ríos, Pichincha, Carchi, Guayas and Loja, alongside provinces under orange and yellow alerts under the current official framework.

On Friday, Ecuador declared a 90-day regional state of emergency in Guayas, Santa Elena, Manabí, Esmeraldas, Chimborazo, El Oro, Los Ríos and Loja, citing damage to communities, the road network, public infrastructure and livelihoods.