Sucumbíos, March 24, 2025
Alianza Ceibo and Amazon Frontlines express our deep concern and solidarity with the families and collective territories of Esmeraldas, which have been severely affected by one of the worst environmental disasters in the recent history of Ecuador. On March 13, 2025, a major ecological disaster struck the province of Esmeraldas after a pipeline rupture in the Trans-Ecuadorian Oil Pipeline System (SOTE) spilled at least 25,116 barrels of oil, according to PetroEcuador, making it the worst oil spill in Ecuador in nearly three decades.
This spill left half a million people without drinking water for nearly 12 days, contaminated rivers, destroyed crops, and seriously endangered the health of entire communities.
The massive oil spill is also affecting one of the poorest provinces in the country. According to Ecuador’s National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), five out of ten Esmeraldas residents live on less than three dollars per day. The most heavily impacted communities rely primarily on agriculture, livestock, artisanal fishing, and tourism, and their livelihoods are severely affected by this environmental catastrophe.
This disaster highlights the deep structural inequality faced by racialized and impoverished territories and communities, worsened by ongoing state neglect and the absence of effective public policy. It is also a clear example of environmental racism—a crisis rooted in an unsustainable development model that prioritizes economic interests over the lives and well-being of people and ecosystems.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition (MAATE), over 80 kilometres of waterways have been contaminated, primarily impacting the Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas rivers. Rising water levels in the Esmeraldas River, caused by heavy seasonal rains, have allowed the oil to spread to estuaries, wetlands, and tributaries, severely affecting ecosystems and aquatic life.
Like other disasters of this scale, this spill could have been prevented—or mitigated—if Petroecuador had implemented automated pressure loss alert systems, a key mechanism to detect pipeline ruptures early. Proper maintenance of pipelines and oil infrastructure is also essential to prevent these incidents. Yet the lack of investment and oversight has contributed to a devastating outcome.
Several media outlets have reported that one of the community’s most pressing concerns is the lack of access to safe drinking water. Lendy Bennet, manager of the municipal water company of Esmeraldas, stated that Petroecuador sent water tankers to assist, but “they were insufficient to meet demand,” and some “were not even suitable for transporting water intended for human consumption.” Social media reports have also surfaced showing that in some areas, the water delivered was “oily and smelled like diesel”—evidence of negligence and an inadequate response to a pressing emergency.
This disaster has exposed the fragility of Ecuador’s oil infrastructure and the urgent need for public policies that guarantee responsible environmental management whilst protecting the country’s most vulnerable populations. The response from the State and the companies involved has been insufficient, and the absence of true environmental justice has left communities in Esmeraldas unprotected against the impacts of this disaster.
This spill is part of a long history of oil-related environmental contamination in Ecuador, where local communities have repeatedly suffered the consequences. Over the years, several spills have been documented in the SOTE pipeline system, raising serious concerns about its maintenance and oversight quality. Environmental organizations have also pointed to the lack of a proper regulatory framework to protect Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, who are consistently the most affected.
As Indigenous peoples of Ecuador who have also been victims of state abandonment and violence, we extend our most profound solidarity to the communities of Esmeraldas, who today endure the devastating consequences of this oil spill. We know the pain and destruction you are facing is not isolated—it is part of a long history of dispossession and destruction imposed by an extractive model that places corporate profits above life and the rights of our people. We have witnessed the contamination of our rivers, forests, and ancestral territories due to recurring oil spills threatening our way of life. Like you, we have fought—and continue to fight—for the protection of our water sources, the right to a healthy environment, and the defence of our ways of life that are deeply connected to nature.
We share a message of strength, solidarity, and unity from the Ceibo Alliance and Amazon Frontlines. We stand with you in this fight for environmental justice, for the full and fair reparation of the damage caused, and for a fundamental shift in the development model that values life over destructive resource extraction. Let your struggle be our struggle. Because together, in the richness of our diverse peoples, we can raise our voices and demand to live free from violence, pollution, and impunity.
