The cleanup, removal, and disposal of debris, construction and demolition waste, and waste from electrical and electronic equipment generated by the earthquake are hereby declared to be in the public interest and for the common good. The government and local jurisdictions may temporarily authorize debris disposal sites without a prior license, permit, concession, or environmental authorization when regular sites are insufficient.This authorization is subject to technical guidelines, notification to the environmental authority, priority monitoring, and subsequent submission of a management, closure, and restoration plan. Moors, wetlands, protected areas, or other strategic ecosystems incompatible with the activity may not be used. For new projects involving the repair, reinforcement, replacement, or reconstruction of infrastructure affected by the earthquake, special decision deadlines are established: 30 business days for environmental licenses; 15 business days for water concessions, occupation of watercourses, discharges, and atmospheric emissions.
Environmental authorities must establish technical bodies for priority evaluation. The Ministry of the Environment may temporarily designate the ANLA or another authority when the regional or municipal authority lacks sufficient operational capacity.
The expiration of these deadlines does not constitute tacit administrative approval. Furthermore, environmental impact assessments, public participation, and prior consultation remain mandatory when required. Holders of valid environmental licenses, permits, or concessions may immediately begin repair, reconstruction, and restoration work on affected infrastructure, after notifying the environmental authority. They must subsequently request an amendment to the environmental permit within three months of the start of the work. The authority retains the power to impose additional measures, suspend activities, and initiate sanction proceedings. Provisional interventions on existing transportation infrastructure within forest reserves are permitted when necessary to prevent or address a serious and imminent risk resulting from the earthquake. The work must, in principle, be limited to the footprint of the existing infrastructure. Interventions outside that footprint require provisional environmental authorization, technical justification, confirmation that no less harmful alternative exists, and simultaneous processing of the area’s exclusion from protected status. The provisional authorization may last up to 60 days, extendable only once, and does not constitute approval of the exclusion nor does it create vested rights. It does not apply to natural parks, páramos, or areas subject to special prohibitions. Outstanding obligations regarding compensation for the biotic component and the mandatory 1% investment may be directed toward: protected areas;conservation strategies; water control and management projects; restoration of streams and riverbeds affected by the earthquake.
The environmental authority that imposed the obligation must verify its implementation and coordinate it with the competent environmental authority at the investment site. Funds from the National Environmental System may be distributed among its members to finance exclusively the repair and reconstruction of territories affected by the earthquake. In addition, environmental authorities may voluntarily use funds from the environmental portion of the property tax as a counterpart contribution to secure multilateral and cooperation funds for sustainable urban reconstruction. The Ministry of the Environment, the regional autonomous corporations, and other environmental authorities must conduct the Post-Disaster Environmental Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (EDANA-C). This assessment aims to identify damage to strategic ecosystems and areas of environmental importance, and to prioritize restoration measures and nature-based solutions. Environmental and risk management agencies must coordinate the assessment of environmental safety and feasibility in areas designated for reconstruction, resettlement, relocation, or declaration as “cleared zones.” This assessment must be coordinated with the identification and registration of individuals and communities displaced by the disaster.