Cuenca news today, written for expats

Ecuador moved from yellow to orange alert for El Niño conditions in 17 provinces, 143 cantons and 491 parishes. In Azuay, the alert includes Cuenca, Girón, Nabón, Oña, Pucará, Santa Isabel and Camilo Ponce Enríquez.

A clinic in Gualaceo says it carried out a long-distance robotic surgery with the treating doctor in Harbin, China. The procedure used a robotic system in Azuay and a fast internet connection between the two countries.

Ecuador’s July 20 forecast calls for variable skies, isolated rain, and higher daytime temperatures. INAMHI also keeps Alert 52 active for daytime heat and radiation in several parts of the country.

A July 19 crash on the Girón-Pasaje road left one person dead and another injured. The incident was reported at kilometer 14, near a gas station in the Cumbe sector of Cuenca canton.

Cuenca’s tram card shortage is expected to continue while the city waits on an emergency purchase. For now, riders without a card may need to pay $1 per trip, use a bank-linked app, or buy tickets from machines at the system’s stations.

A University of Cuenca study found a close relationship between satellite pollution measurements and ground-station data in Cuenca and Quito. The result could help smaller Ecuadorian cities monitor air quality without building expensive station networks.