Road E–25 from 1960 to 2025 and its aggregate environmental impacts Babahoyo – Jujan case

Abstract

Context: The Guayas River basin includes the Babahoyo River sub-basin, which originates in the canton of the same name and belongs to the province of Los Ríos. The city of Babahoyo has developed thanks to transportation infrastructure and investments in various sectors (roads, waterways, irrigation projects, urban expansion projects, the Babahoyo flood control project (GTZ, 1990), the bridge over the Guayas River, and an 11,000-hectare rice irrigation project). These development projects are state investments financed internationally, and they generate both positive and negative environmental impacts. These impacts are mitigated through environmental management plans. When additional impacts arise that are not addressed in these plans, they are called aggregate environmental impacts. To mitigate these, the Habitat Bank exists, which provides subsidies and acknowledges the damages incurred. The Habitat Bank was created by lending institutions, and these institutions are present in all lending countries, including the World Bank, CAF, IDB, and IMF, among others. Examples include Colombia, Brazil, and the United States. The socio-economic development of the Babahoyo canton encompasses roads, agriculture (rice/bananas), urban development, and agro-industry, among other sectors. Infrastructure development from 1965 to 2025 has included the construction of roads, urban expansion, agricultural projects, and more. This development has resulted in an additional environmental impact: flooding in areas ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 hectares. This situation did not occur before the 1960s. Objective: The objective of the habitat bank (in the world, created by the UN) is to subsidize the aggregate environmental damages created by the implementation of these development projects, for the aggregate impacts that were not considered by the environmental impact study; and also not in the management plan. Method: Environmental impacts follow the order of: Results: Vehicle Operation Costs – Negative: 10,000 hours x $10/hour x 60 days = $6.06; Agricultural Production Costs – Negative: $36 per sack = $72.06; Flora and Fauna Costs – Negative: 200.06 m³ x $0.06/m³ = $12.06; Infrastructure Costs – Negative: 20,000 vehicles x $1.75/hour x 60 days = $2.10; Damage to road infrastructure: $6.06 = $0.60; Damage to socio-economic infrastructure: 4,000 x 5 x 150 x 15.67 = $42.01; Aggregate impact per year (current value 2025) 6 + 72 + 12 + 2.1 + 0.6 + 42.01 = $134.71 E06. Conclusions: In ECUADOR there is no habitat bank, nor are there subsidies produced by the aggregate impacts of FLOODS THAT LAST 4 to 6 MONTHS PER YEAR, this impact creates socio-economic, psychosocial and environmental problems.