This handout from the Equadra Municipality in Esmeraldas shows the impact of an oil spill on the Esmeraldas River.
The oil spill in northwestern Ecuador caused black rivers to turn the river, urging authorities to declare an environmental emergency and order residents to drink food.
The spill, believed to have been caused when landslides burst a major oil pipeline, contaminated parts of the Esmeraldas River in the same name state.
The residents of the town of Cube, whose water has changed colour, were trying to stop the flow by building levees.
“The mud formed by the oil penetrates every hillside,” said farmer Fernando Gandala.
The state capital’s Emergency Works Committee, also known as Esmeralda, has declared an environmental emergency over water quality concerns.
Vilko Villacis, mayor of more than 200,000, said the leak caused “unprecedented” damage.
His office halted the diversion of river water to the aqueducts that supply the city, and urged people to supply water.
State-owned Petroequadore said Friday it was working to deal with an emergency in the pipeline, part of Ecuador’s Pipeline System (SOTE) that transports crude oil from the Amazon.
The company does not estimate the amount of oil spills.
The crew is working to clean up oil spills in Ecuador.
Last year, Ecuador produced 475,000 barrels of crude oil a day, exporting 72% of its total.
This sort is the most used pipeline system in the country, with the ability to transport 360,000 barrels per day on a 500-kilometer (310-mile) journey from the Amazon to the Pacific coast.
©2025 AFP
Quote: Oil spills on the Ecuador River bring about an emergency declaration (March 16, 2025) from https://phys.org/news/2025-03-oil-ecuador-river-emargency-declaration.html.
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