About 21,000 m2 of the Cayambe-Coca reserve are affected by this spillage due to a leak that occurred Friday on several pipes of a pipeline.
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An episode of oil pollution hits a natural area in the Ecuadorian Amazon, the government of the South American country announced on Monday (January 31st). “The affected area is located in the Cayambe-Coca National Park and according to the zoning, the oil spill took place in the protection zone”, explains a press release. Three days earlier, a leak was identified on an oil pipeline after heavy rains caused landslides and rockfalls, damaging “four infrastructure pipes” operated by the private company Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados (OCP).
COMUNICADO | Report of afectaciones, actions desarrolladas and inicio de action administrativa contra operador por derrame de crudo en Napo. pic.twitter.com/NxA7jtCanZ
— Ministerio Ambiente, Agua y Transición Ecológica (@Ambiente_Ec) January 31, 2022
The government then broadcast images of the leak, as well as of the intervention works, with trucks and bulldozers trying to climb earthen palisades. These images showed oil-covered rocks and a black slick amid vegetation. “Containment actions have been initiated to prevent any environmental damage, and crude oil containment ponds have been constructed to prevent any type of impact on water sources”, explained the OCP.
The authorities then feared that oil would gain “the vicinity of the Coca River and possibly nearby water reserves”, on which several indigenous communities depend. Unfortunately, that is what happened. At this stage, approximately 21,000 m2 of the Cayambe-Coca reserve have been affected by the oil leak, according to the estimate released on Monday. The crude also flowed into the Coca River, a major river in the Amazon and which flows into the Napo River, itself a tributary of the Amazon, according to the same source. “Cleaning work is continuing and we will apply the penalties provided for by law”, said on Twitter (in Spanish) Minister Gustavo Manrique.
Ecuador has significant oil resources, especially in the Amazon region, and this oil is its main export product (mainly via the public company Petroecuador). Between January and November 2012, the country produced an average of 494,000 barrels per day.