Oil spill in Ecuador river triggers environmental emergency

Cause of the spill
The spill is believed to have been caused when a landslide ruptured a major oil pipeline, turning the waters black in a section of the Esmeraldas River in the province of the same name.

Actions taken by local authorities
The Emergency Operations Committee in the provincial capital, also called Esmeraldas, declared the environmental emergency. Mayor Vilko Villacis of the city, which has more than 200,000 inhabitants, said the leak caused "unprecedented" damage. As a result, the diversion of river water to an aqueduct supplying the city has been halted, and citizens have been urged to ration their water consumption.

Efforts to address the spill
On Friday, state-owned Petroecuador confirmed that it was working to address the emergency at the pipeline, part of the Trans-Ecuadoran Pipeline System (SOTE), which transports crude oil from the Amazon region.

Impact on Ecuador's oil production
The company has not yet estimated the volume of oil spilled. Ecuador produced 475,000 barrels of crude oil a day in the previous year, exporting 72 percent of the total. The SOTE is the most used pipeline system in the country, with a capacity to transport 360,000 barrels per day over a 500-kilometer (310-mile) stretch from the Amazon to the Pacific coast.