The Daule – Peripa dam, contrary to what some people think, benefits agricultural development.
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On Sunday, August 1, 2021, a columnist wrote on the Opinion page of Diario EL UNIVERSO: “To generate hydroelectricity, a river is dammed, thereby interrupting life in it: the migrating of fish, periodic flooding and fertilization. from the banks. The Daule-Peripa dam meant the decrease in the flow of the Daule, today the water of the gulf advances upriver, islets are formed, there is less fishing ”. With all due respect, I make a relevant observation, since I worked 12 years at Cedege and was part of the technical team that made the final formulation and evaluation of the Daule-Peripa multiple-purpose project, and made its presentation to the IDB for its financing, achieving 50 years term, 10-year grace period, 1% interest during the grace period, and 2% interest for the 40-year amortization period.
The project was proposed, in the first place, to correct the irregular distribution of water in the area of the Guayas river basin: 3,000 mm of rainfall in Santo Domingo, 1,000 mm in Guayaquil and only 50 mm in Salinas; and the poor distribution of water over time: 4 months of rain in the winter and 8 months of drought in the summer, and thus achieve a series of benefits for agricultural development, flood control, water for populations, hydroelectric energy , among other benefits. It is true that the Daule – Peripa dam decreased the flow of the Daule River, but only in the winter months when the excessive flow of water that produced damaging floods was retained and accumulated in the reservoir; while in the summer months the river water flow increases, when it is scarce. It should be remembered that the floods of every year no longer occur in the Daule valley, and that the 5 cubic meters per second that the Daule river carried as a flow in front of the La Toma site in the dry months of 1968, and the serious problems that the treatment plant had to produce potable water for Guayaquil; now, Daule-Peripa ensures a minimum flow of fresh water of 120 cubic meters per second all summer long, and this higher flow also pushes the entry of salt water from the gulf, which penetrates with the rise of the tide. The farmers of the Daule valley can irrigate without prejudice to salinity and the treatment plant has guaranteed raw but fresh water to make drinkable. (OR)
Hermes Leon Mora, economist specialized in Social Evaluation of Projects, Guayaquil
Columnist response
The reader describes the positive effects of the project, and has them, I do not contest them. I only emphasize that dams have an environmental impact, which the reader does not refute. Floods are a problem for the villagers, but they fertilize the river banks. (OR)
Walter Spurrier Baquerizo, economist, opinion columnist, Guayaquil
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