Oil Spill In Ecuador Affects A Wildlife Refuge Of The Coastal Zone
People working in the area of an oil spill following a rupture in the Transecuatoriano Pipeline System (Sote) in the Vergel sector, in Quininde, province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. Photo: X/ @LeonidasIzaEc
March 16, 2025 Hour: 2:11 pm
Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE) reported this Sunday that the Manglares Estuario Río Esmeraldas wildlife refuge is affected by the crude oil spill that occurred last Thursday in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, bordering Colombia.
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According to MAATE, after a technical evaluation in the refuge, the presence of hydrocarbons was found on the surface of the water circulating through the channels of the protected area, affecting the vegetation cover of the mangrove ecosystem, the fauna, and the aquatic sediments.
This is a consequence of the crude oil spill, due to a rupture in the Transecuatorian Pipeline System (Sote), caused by a landslide due to heavy rains in the El Vergel sector, in Quinindé.
Faced with this emergency, MAATE has immediately requested the public company Petroecuador (operator of Sote) to urgently implement containment, cleaning, and remediation measures in the affected area, in order to mitigate environmental impacts and restore the ecological conditions of the area.
In addition, it recommended the urgent activation of monitoring plans, risk assessment, and reinforcement of security protocols in the Sote infrastructure within the areas of influence of these protected zones.
The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, indicated on Saturday that Petroecuador will create a fund with two objectives: environmental remediation and reparation for all affected families.
The authorities have not yet reported the amount of oil spilled and are advancing in the tasks of containment and recovery of the crude oil.
On Friday, the city of Esmeraldas, capital of the homonymous province, declared a state of emergency in the face of the oil spill affecting the river that supplies the city, which, according to its mayor, Vicko Villacís, had already caused “unprecedented ecological damage.”
Autor: ACJ
Fuente: EFE