The departments of Nariño and Cauca have been in an emergency for two weeks after a Serious landslide on the Pan-American Highwayin the Roses sector.
(Read: Pasto-Popayán road project would cost about $12 billion after the emergency).
The emergency has led to this area having shortages of certain foods, gasoline shortages and land disconnection of the departments with the center of the country.
The councilor for the Regions, Luis Fernando Velasco, estimates that the road could be reopened in a month at the height of the municipality of Rosas, in Cauca. “The track is quite advanced,” Velasco said. “We have the two-kilometre variant and we hope that it will be enabled between 20 and 30 days“, he assured.
In addition, the senior official maintained that for now there are valternative routes that are also being intervened so that they connect with other road crossings that unite Nariño with Cauca and the interior of the country.
(Keep reading: Another landslide in Cauca: the Colombian massif is cut off).
Among the options are the Panamericana and its connection with La Sierra, in Cauca. Likewise, the road that joins El Patía with El Tambo, in Cauca.
So far, it is estimated that the losses in the last two weeks due to the closure of the road exceeded 1.5 trillion pesos in Cauca and Nariño.
The governor of Nariño, Jhon Rojas, proposed that “the National Government assumes the extra cost in transporting gas, food and supplies to and from the department”.
In addition, he urged to accelerate the construction of the San Francisco – Mocoa bypass, in Putumayo, as an alternative to expedite transportdue to endless lines of vehicles with desperate travelers who risk their lives on trails next to abysses to reach Popayán, from there to Cali and then into the interior of the country.
(In addition: Government will buy crops in Nariño and more measures for the emergency).
BRIEFCASE
