Riobamba approves new ordinance for comprehensive disaster risk management

The Municipal Council of Riobamba approved Ordinance 021-2026, which regulates the comprehensive disaster risk management (GIRD) and replaces Book IV of Ordinance No. 016-2023 (Urban Code). The regulation was sanctioned by the mayor, Arch. John Henry Vinueza Salinas, on August 30, 2026, and published in the Special Edition No. 1630 of the Official Registry of Ecuador, on September 10, 2026.

The ordinance responds to the canton’s high exposure to natural threats: between 2010 and April 2026, 1,046 hazardous events were recorded in Riobamba. The text expressly repeals articles 679 to 729 of the Urban Code and migrates toward the seven GIRD processes, in line with the Organic Law for Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (LOGIRD), issued in 2023, and the Land Use and Management Plan (PUGS 2025).

A cantonal risk management model

The regulation creates the Cantonal Model for Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management, which is mandatory throughout the territory, and articulates it through a local system that integrates public, private, and community entities. The Comprehensive Risk Management Department is established as the technical body responsible for policy formulation, planning, and control.

The system is organized around several coordination instances:

• The Territorial Committee for GIRD (CTGIRD), chaired by the mayor.
• Six permanent Technical Tables for advisory and technical execution.
• The Cantonal Emergency Operations Center (COE) and the Cantonal Recovery Committee.
• The Community Risk Management Committees (CCGR), recognized as the basic unit of citizen participation.
• The Community Articulation and Co-responsibility Commission (CACC).

Financing and obligations

To guarantee the execution of the policy, the Municipal GAD of Riobamba will allocate 1.5% of the current income budget from the collection of fees and taxes to a specific cantonal resilience fund. Additionally, fees for technical risk management services are established, calculated based on the unified basic salary (SBU):

• Risk management report for restricted land use: 5.5%.
• Risk management report for protection strips: 7%.
• Contingency plan certification for mass gathering events: 2.5%.
• Contingency plan certification for economic activities: 5.5%.

Every regulated company, industry, or organization must present and implement a Comprehensive Risk Management Plan, valid for two years, prior to obtaining the Annual Single License for Economic Activities. Public entities present in the canton must have their own risk unit or officer and submit an annual report to the municipal Department.

Sanctioning regime

The ordinance incorporates a regime of infractions and sanctions aligned with the LOGIRD and Ordinance 010-2026 regarding administrative sanctioning procedures. High-risk behaviors, such as building, subdividing, or enabling land in non-mitigatable risk zones, are strictly sanctioned. Legal entities may be sanctioned with a fine of ten unified basic salaries and temporary suspension of activities for 30 days, and in the event of recidivism, definitive closure is foreseen.

The regulation also establishes implementation deadlines: the CTGIRD must hold its constitutive plenary session within the first 30 days of validity, and the census and accreditation of existing community committees will begin in 120 days.

Source: Official Registry of Ecuador, Special Edition No. 1630, September 10, 2026, Municipal Ordinances section, p. 47 (official reference: Ordinance 021-2026 of the Riobamba canton).