Ecuador's Amazon is slowly being destroyed by an oil spill that took away the safe drinking water, food sources, and homes from the indigenous people living inside the rainforest.

The tribe members of the Ecuadorian Amazon are living in a nightmare after a massive oil spill polluted two major rivers where they get their water and most of their food from. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, they have nowhere to go in search of food and water.

"We used to fish and hunt," a tribe member said. "The oil companies invaded out territories and scared the animals away. Now we can't fish either."


Oil Spill


The destructive oil spill was the result of a dramatic landslide that struck and ruptured three pipelines in the Orellana province near the Peruvian border on April 7. The collapsed pipelines belonged to the Trans-Ecuadorian Oil Pipeline System

The burst pipes spewed over 15,000 barrels of crude into the nearby rivers. The disaster is linked to the collapse of the San Rafael waterfall. The once famous waterfall has now been reduced to a trickle due to an erosion that happened upstream of the waterfall.

Carlos Mazabanda of AmazonWatch claims the spill might be the biggest spill they have ever seen, with prior spills possibly amounting up to 30,000 barrels of diesel.

The families living near the river banks now lacked food to eat and water to drink. The massive spill displaced more than 27,000 indigenous people living near the Coca and Napo rivers.

The indigenous communities have filed a lawsuit against the local government and the oil companies for the disaster the spill caused. They also said the aid provided was "not enough" and is seeking more measures to guarantee a supply of clean water, food, and access to healthcare services.

The disaster, although unintentional, caused heavy damage in its wake. The communities are holding the government responsible for omitting vital information about the situation.


Coronavirus

The oil spill put the indigenous tribes at risk of getting infected with the deadly virus as they now have to travel to villages to buy food.

In one of Ecuador's Amazon communities, fears of ethnocide surfaced as the virus ravaged through the nation, killing more than 1,600 people.

The Siekopai tribe, who are living along the border between Ecuador and Peru, have reported 15 confirmed coronavirus cases in its community of 744 members. Two elderly leaders also succumbed to the respiratory disease, though they were not confirmed as carriers.

A large number of the tribe have experienced COVID-19 related symptoms. They sought medical attention from a nearby health center where they were told they had "nasty flu."

After the death of the leaders, they asked the government for help in barricading their community and testing the inhabitants. The Ecuadorian government, however, did not respond.

The members fled to the heart of the jungle in hopes of avoiding the infection. Those who stayed behind are turning to diluted medicines to combat respiratory problems.

Other indigenous groups in the Amazon have also reported cases of the virus. They, like the Siekopai tribe, were also neglected by the government. They submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations, where they claimed their country left them to fend for themselves.


Catch up on the latest news in Latin America: