Oil Spill in Ecuador Advances Through the Esmeraldas River Toward the Pacific Ocean
Oil spill on the Esmeraldas River, Ecuador, March 2025. X/ @LeonidasIzaEc
March 17, 2025 Hour: 10:24 am
Last week, a rupture in the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System allowed hundreds of barrels to spill into the river.
Over the weekend, the Ecuadorian press reported a serious oil spill contaminating Esmeraldas Province, while President Daniel Noboa’s administration has yet to contain this environmental disaster.
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In the early hours of March 13, a landslide caused a rupture in the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System (SOTE), allowing hundreds of barrels of oil to spill into the Esmeraldas River, contaminating the primary water source for thousands of residents.
Petroecuador, the state-owned company responsible for the pipeline, confirmed the suspension of pumping 360,000 barrels per day, which will impact the macroeconomic situation of a country already experiencing a productive contraction.
Currently, at least 800 families, mostly Afro-Ecuadorian, are facing a severe shortage of drinking water after Esmeraldas Mayor Vilko Villacis ordered the suspension of water supply from the contaminated river.
“We are facing unprecedented damage. The contamination is unstoppable,” he warned, as residents of El Vergel and surrounding communities reported that oil had polluted crops, wells, and even containers used to collect rainwater.
The ecological impact is devastating. Biologists warn that hydrocarbons will suffocate aquatic life, poison essential microorganisms, and contaminate the soil for decades. For local fishermen, the crisis is immediate.
The emergency exposes deeper historical fractures. In Esmeraldas Canton, where 70 percent of the population is of African descent, decades of government neglect have left the area without landslide prevention systems, water treatment infrastructure, and with overcrowded hospitals.
“Oil comes from these territories, yet there are no decent schools or roads here,” community leaders denounce, adding that vulnerability to disasters is the result of an economic growth model that concentrates resource extraction in impoverished areas while ignoring the basic needs of the population.
Criticism of the government’s response is growing as the Emergency Operations Committee distributes water via tanker trucks and Petroecuador implements mitigation protocols. Organizations such as the Esmeraldas Human Rights Alliance condemn the government’s response as slow and ineffective.
Ecuador, the fourth-largest oil producer in Latin America, relies on hydrocarbons to finance public services and external debt. However, this spill intensifies the conflict between extractivism and the “Rights of Nature,” which have been constitutionally recognized since 2008.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: Sputnik – teleSUR