14 DAY TRIAL // A few days back, some 11,000 barrels of oil spilled into the Amazon's Coca River. The oil is presently making its way towards Peru and Brazil, greenheads warn.
By the looks of it, the oil originated from a ruptured pipeline in the Ecuadorean Amazon. The pipeline reportedly ruptured on May 31, in the aftermath of a landslide.
The Coca River carried the oil all the way to the Napo River, a water source that stands at the border of the Yasuni National Park.
Information leaked to the public says that, following this oil spill, some 80,000 people living close to the Napo River found that their water sources had been temporarily contaminated, Mongabay reports.
Assessment of the environmental damage caused by this oil spill is yet to be carried out.
Petroecuador, the company operating the ruptured pipeline, was quick in assuming responsibility for the incident.
Thus, it promised that a cleanup operation would be rolled out as soon as possible. The company it hired to clean both the Coca River and the Napo River is Clean Caribbean & Americas.
Besides taking measures to contain and clean the spill, Petroecuador made sure that the 80,000 people directly affected by the spill did not lack access to clean water.
According to the same source, Ecuador President Rafael Corres insisted on apologizing for the incident. He said that both the country and Petroecuador were sorry “for the problems they had caused.”
What worries conservationists and greenheads at this point is the fact that the oil spill might have affected the natural ecosystems in the Yasuni National Park.
This region is one of the most biodiverse in the Amazon, and was even listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1989.
In fact, studies have revealed that just one hectare in the Yasuni National Park can be home to as many as 665 different tree species.