Leaks in Peru's main oil pipeline have spilled at least 3,000 barrels of crude oil in the Amazonian region.

According to the state oil company Petroperu, the spilled oil has polluted two rivers that are part of the Amazon region: the Chiriaco and Morona rivers located in northwestern Peru. Around eight indigenous communities depend on the rivers for their water consumption, the Peruvian government and indigenous leaders said.

Local indigenous leader Edwin Montenergo said that the oil spill is affecting the Achuar community. Heavy rains have made initial efforts to contain the spill difficult.

The oil firm blamed the first leak on a landslide while the root of the second leakage is still unknown. Petroperu vowed to carry out a full clean-up, as well as to provide food and water provisions to the native villages affected by the oil spill.

Consequences for Petroperu

Peru's Health Ministry has announced a water quality emergency in five districts. The national environmental regulator, OEFA, said that Petroperu could be fined for up to 60m soles ($17 million) if the spills caused serious health concerns on the local people.

OEFA said in a statement that the spills were not "isolated cases" and "similar emergencies have emerged as a result of defects in sections of the pipeline." The group also ordered the firm to "replace parts of the pipeline and to improve maintenance."

Petroperu President German Velasquez has denied the reports claiming that the company paid children to clean up the thick, black sludge. The official also said that he is considering axing four company officials, adding that one of them may have hired children to gather the spilled oil.

Velasquez said that the firm is currently evaluating the pipeline, which was built in the 1970s, to avoid more spills in the future. This evaluation process could take up to two months.

The leaks have hampered the transportation of 5,000 to 6,000 barrels of oil per day. Velasquez said that it could take "some time" before operations normalize again.

Petroperu operates the pipeline and is also responsible for refining the oil it transports, which has reduced in recent months as oil prices continue to collapse. The pipeline usually carries crude oil from block 192, which is operated by the Pacific Exploration & Production Corp.

Petroperu is gearing up to participate in oil production with a private company after more than two decades of refining, commercializing and transporting crude. The firm is also planning to put up to 49 percent of its output on Lima's stock exchange.