Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

Between the 17^th and the 26^th of November, several experts of the Department of Infrastructure and Urban Planning and the International Cooperation Department of the AMB travelled to Portoviejo (Ecuador) to learn in situ the effects of the earthquake that took place in 2016 and the river management that establishes the vulnerability of potentially floodable urban areas adjacent to the river.

The objective of the trip was to share a diagnostic of the territory and specify the measures to be performed together with the town's technical team.

This meeting is set within the framework of a collaboration agreement signed last July following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that, on the 16^th of April of 2016, struck the Ecuadorian Pacific Coast, claimed over 600 lives and had devastating effects on buildings and infrastructures.

The AMB expert staff has verified on the field that the effects of the earthquake are still very visible and that there are still many challenges ahead, despite the great rebuilding works that have taken place in the city centre. In this respect, they have learned about the "Plan Maestro urbano de Portoviejo-Plan Ciudad", which will soon be approved and it will tackle the effects of the earthquake from an integrated and cohesive urban perspective.

Recurring flooding

Apart from the catastrophic earthquake, flooding is a recurrent issue in Portoviejo. These events are also foreseen within the cooperation between the AMB and Portoviejo, since it is directly related with urban planning and land use management.

In this regard, the local technical team and the AMB staff followed the river course, from the Poza Honda dam to its mouth, establishing the strategic points related to the river management in order to minimise flooding risks and foster environmental sustainability.

The AMB will contribute to this collaboration agreement with its experience and knowledge managing the Llobregat i Besòs rivers, improving territorial planning and integrating the river in the city of Portoviejo in a safe and inclusive manner for its inhabitants.