An unquantified oil spill contaminated the mighty Napo River, one of the tributaries of the Amazon, and is affecting populations in Ecuador, the state-owned company reported on Thursday (06/27/2024). Petroecuador.
Without specifying when, the entity indicated that in the Block 16located in the Amazonian province of Orellana (east), a pipeline broke, causing crude oil to leak. On June 26, “there was heavy rainfall in the area, which caused part of the hydrocarbon contained in the barriers to be dragged towards the Napo River,” he added.
The company said that “additional barriers are currently being placed to prevent traces of hydrocarbons from advancing into rivers and thus minimize the impacts caused by the rains.” It added that it “has maintained direct communication with the affected communities,” without giving further details.
Petroecuador He noted that, after the spill, preventive barriers were installed to “protect the bodies of water adjacent to the Napo River” as part of actions to bring the situation under control, but that the torrential rain resulted in the damage to the important tributary of the Great Amazon, which crosses Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
“New environmental disaster due to hydrocarbons in the Napo River,” he said on the social network X (previously Twitter) Amazonian lawyer Pablo Fajardo, a human rights defender and representative of people affected by oil activity, said that “residents of the communities in the Pañacocha parish (in the neighboring province of) Sucumbios are denouncing this.” The activist released a video that shows a stream of water with oily stains. “Right now there is no way to fish,” said one person.
Ecuador, which extracts crude oil from the Amazon rainforest, has occasional leaks. In February 2022, a pipeline ruptured, causing 6,300 barrels to spill into the protected Cayambe-Coca National Park, which is home to a variety of wildlife and a water reserve.
On that occasion, the Quijos and Coca rivers were affected. The latter was the scene of another spill in 2020, when 15,000 barrels reached the waterway.
Oil is the country’s main traditional export product, which in 2023 extracted 475,000 barrels per day (b/d), of which it sold 66%. Between January and April 2024, it extracted 485,000 b/d, selling 73% abroad.
loves (afp, efe)
