A massive oil spill in Ecuador last month has left at least 150,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance, according to an assessment by UN aid coordination office OCHA.
The disaster was caused by the rupture of the SOTE pipeline in Esmeraldas province in March, resulting in the spilling of more than 25,000 barrels of oil.
The UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination, team, which is part of OCHA, carried out the assessment.
In addition to the thousands affected, the team also pointed to a concerning increase in respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, as well as limited access to safe drinking water.
People's livelihoods have been particularly hit hard, especially in fishing, agriculture and shellfish harvesting.
OCHA said more than 37,000 women have lost their means of earning a living. Many are shellfish gatherers and now face growing health risks and exposure to gender-based violence.
According to a press release, the UN is testing water from affected rivers, treatment plants and seafood from the ocean to see if it has the presence of hydrocarbons and heavy metals, as it could have long term environmental and health repercussions.
UN Resident Coordinator in Ecuador Lena Savelli has shared the findings and recommendations with Government ministers and the national humanitarian forum.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
April 18, 2025 13:26 ET Some key data were released this week amid the escalating tariff war between the U.S. and other countries. Retail sales data from the U.S. revealed that consumers have started to prepare for a future increase in prices and factory activity has started to get hurt due to a fall in export demand. In Europe, the European Central Bank rate decision and inflation data from the U.K. were the highlights. News flow in Asia this week was dominated by the first quarter economic growth data from China.