Pipeline bursts spewing crude oil into Amazon rainforest

An oil pipeline burst spewing crude oil into the Amazon rainforest on Friday according to Greenpeace, causing a nature reserve and river supplying indigenous communities to become polluted.
The burst, happened in the eastern Napo province of Ecuador and is believed to have been caused by a falling rock during heavy rainfall.
Ecuador’s environment ministry described it as a “major” pollution event.
It said on Monday the spill had reached a protected area of the Cayambe-Coca National Park as well as a stretch of the Coca River.
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) confirmed that local indigenous communities are being affected by the spill.
OCP Ecuador, who own the pipeline, suspended pumping over the weekend to repair the tube and to contain the spillage and clean the area.
It said in a statement that the “pumping of crude oil has been stopped as a preventive measure, and that it will be restarted when the conditions are right”.

REVEALED🚨
‘Oil spill sprays crude into Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest’

That’s according to Indigenous activists, who shared footage of oil spraying from a ruptured pipeline. pic.twitter.com/8FjN3Kvq7R

— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) January 31, 2022

The OCP pipeline and state-owned SOTE pipeline were previously forced to halt pumping in December as steady erosion caused by rainfall caused issues.
Sadly the pumping of crude oil through ecologically sensitive areas is relatively common, causing significant damage when they burst spewing crude oil. Wildlife and local communities who live off the land can be badly affected by water and food contamination, particularly in more remote regions.

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