Preventing Pollution Disasters: Lessons from 2025 Ecuador Oil Spill

Preparedness Plan for Pollution Disasters: 2025 Ecuador Oil Spill Name Institutional Affiliation Course name Instructor’s name Assignment due date Preparedness Plan for Pollution Disasters: 2025 Ecuador Oil Spill Personal Inspiration The 2025 Ecuador oil spill is an important environmental pollution since it demonstrated how natural disasters can disrupt supply systems. Heavy rainfall that caused landslides in the province of Esmeraldas led to the rapture of the pipeline system and led to a humanitarian crisis. The topic is important to me personally since it was a major environmental crisis that polluted drinking water systems and has potential long-term health implications in the affected communities. Determining how planning can mitigate the effect of natural disasters on human-made systems is a unique aspect of pollution that would is interesting to investigate. Introduction to the Event In the province of Esmeraldas located on the norther coastal region of Eduardo, heavy rainfall and landslides caused the oil pipeline system to rapture. The initial oil spill occurred on March 13, 2025 followed by a second spill on March 22nd that worsened the state of pollution (IFRC, 2025). The oil spill contaminated sources of fresh water including rivers Esmeraldas, Caple, and Viche that provide water for domestic and agricultural uses. As a result of the oil spill, over 300,000 people were affected by the shortage of clean tap water and had to depend on the emergency water distribution. The oil spill amounted to 25,000 barrels that reached sources of drinking water, contaminated the soul, and potentially the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of people relied in the province of Esmeraldas relied on emergency relief services for food and water and there is potential for long-term environmental and health effects resulting from the oil spill. Additionally, the oil spill contamination destroyed crops including oil pal