Ecuador: Oil Spill Emergency - Situation Report No. 1 (as of 2 April 2025)

HIGHLIGHTS

• According to official sources, the rupture of the Transecuadorian Pipeline System (SOTE) on 13 March 2025 in Esmeraldas Province spilled over 25,000 barrels of oil. The spill spread 86 km from the rupture site and affected more than 15 parishes.
• While the humanitarian community awaits the official Initial Needs Assessment (EVIN) and the release of confirmed data, it estimates that 113,000 people have been affected by lost income and limited access to safe drinking water, with serious health consequences. This includes 37,000 women and 44,000 children and adolescents.
• The Government is leading the emergency response at all levels. So far, it has provided at least 2,400 cash transfers to affected families.
• The affected areas are facing high levels of violence due to the presence of criminal groups, raising serious security concerns.
• Following a formal request from the Government and their 29 March deployment, a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) conducted a rapid needs assessment in 37 communities across 17 parishes in the cantons of Esmeraldas, Rioverde, Quinindé, and Atacames. The assessment identified urgent needs in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), food security, health, and livelihoods.
• At the Government’s request, a team from the Joint Environment Unit (JEU) began assessing riverbeds affected by sediment and flow changes. They are monitoring oil slicks at sea using aerial and satellite tools, and collecting water samples from various intake zones, in coordination with the Ecuadorian Red Cross.

KEY FIGURES

• 113K people affected in terms of livelihoods, access to safe water, and health
• 37K women affected in terms of livelihoods, access to safe water, and health
• 44K children and adolescents affected in terms of livelihoods, access to safe water, and health
• 31% of surveyed people have left their homes following the spill
• 2.4K families have received cash transfers.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

On 13 March 2025, heavy rains during the winter season triggered a landslide that broke the SOTE pipeline at a stream in Quinindé Canton, Esmeraldas Province. Petroecuador, the state-owned oil company, reported that approximately 25,116 barrels of oil were spilled, contaminating the Viche and Esmeraldas rivers as well as the northern Pacific coast of Ecuador. The spill disrupted drinking water services. Although service has been restored, several areas still lack access to safe water. The oil spill also affected protected areas, mangroves, tourist beaches, farmland, and the livelihoods of small-scale fishing communities.

Authorities placed containment dikes along the affected areas, but those collapsed after heavy rainfall on 25 March. This led authorities to declare a state of emergency for the province due to environmental contamination, as the emergency exceeded the capacity of local governments. In response, the Government requested the UN Resident Coordinator to activate the National Humanitarian Forum. Through this mechanism, the UNDAC team, JEU—supported by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)—and a WASH expert backed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) provided assistance. The UN Resident Coordinator also visited the affected areas and met with national, provincial, and local authorities to assess the impact firsthand and advocate for a humanitarian response.

Following the Government’s request, the UNDAC team carried out a rapid needs assessment on 29 March. Through interviews with key informants, they identified humanitarian priorities in WASH, food security, livelihoods, shelter, protection, and environmental concerns. The assessment team—made up of national and international NGOs and UN agencies coordinated by UNDAC—included Caritas, World Vision, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Fondo Ecuatoriano Populorum Progressio (FEPP), HIAS, RET, Fululu, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and OCHA. They conducted surveys in 17 parishes, reaching 38 rural communities and 9 urban ones in the cantons of Esmeraldas, Rioverde, Quinindé, and Atacames.

Key informants in these cantons reported major needs related to WASH, access to food, health, and livelihoods. The spill also led to internal displacement, with 31 per cent of respondents saying they had to leave their homes—mainly in Rioverde Canton—and most relocated within the same province, seeking shelter with relatives.

In these cantons, the spill took place against a backdrop of disasters, insecurity, and violence. Poverty affects 56 per cent of the population, and the situation is particularly dire in Rioverde, where 91 per cent live in poverty.