Country: Ecuador Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Please refer to the attached file. A. SITUATION ANALYSIS Description of the crisis Situation Overview: Esmeraldas Province During 2025, the province of Esmeraldas experienced a sequence of overlapping emergencies that significantly affected both the population and the ecosystem. Since February 2025, the province has faced multiple shocks, including severe flooding, landslides, a crude oil spill, a 6. 1 MLv earthquake, and repeated disruptions to water supply, generating a complex and evolving humanitarian context. Between 1 January and 13 March 2025, a total of 1, 682 adverse events associated with the rainy season were recorded nationwide, affecting 23 provinces, 189 cantons, and 611 parishes. The most recurrent events included landslides (40. 78%), floods (38. 35%), structural collapses (5. 59%), erosion (5. 35%), strong winds (4. 34%), and mudflows (3. 03%). The provinces with the highest population impact were Manabí, Guayas, Los Ríos, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Santa Elena, Loja, Pichincha, Chimborazo, and Cotopaxi. According to National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR) Situation Report No. 591, these incidents resulted in 19 deaths, 94 injured people, 98, 071 people affected, and 11, 968 displaced, corresponding to 28, 004 affected families and 4, 889 displaced families. Crude Oil Spill and Environmental Emergency (March 2025) On 13 March 2025, landslides caused damage to the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline System (SOTE), resulting in a crude oil spill that contaminated key water sources in the cantons of Atacames, Esmeraldas, Muisne, Quinindé, and Rioverde. Environmental remediation efforts were led primarily by the state-owned company EP Petroecuador in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Water. More than 500, 000 people were estimated to be affected, mainly due to the loss of livelihoods and disruption of access to safe water. Emergency Operations Committees (EOCs) at national, provincial, and cantonal levels were activated to coordinate the response, including environmental monitoring in the Esmeraldas River Estuary Mangrove Wildlife Refuge, humanitarian assistance delivery, and clean-up operations such as hydrocarbon suction. Drinking water supply was progressively restored until July 2025, complemented by water trucking operations in areas without network access, coordinated by EP Petroecuador and other entities. Earthquake (25 April 2025) On 25 April 2025, a 6. 1 MLv magnitude earthquake struck the province, affecting 8, 241 people, including 2, 391 displaced people who experienced partial or total housing loss, and 49 injured people. The Esmeraldas Cantonal Emergency Operations Committee declared Emergency No. 016-GADMCE-2025 to facilitate humanitarian assistance, restoration of basic services, and psychosocial support. At the same time, Esmeraldas was one of the provinces most severely affected by hydrometeorological events, with 7, 057 people impacted by flooding. In response, the SNGR declared a provincial red alert between February and May 2025. Water Supply Disruption (September 2025) On 12 September 2025, the province faced another major water supply emergency affecting approximately 300, 000 people in the cantons of Esmeraldas, Atacames, and Rioverde. The emergency was caused by severe damage to a transformer at the San Mateo Drinking Water Treatment Plant, which interrupted water pumping operations. The activated Provincial EOC ordered the temporary suspension of classes and requested support from the Ecuadorian Red Cross (ERC) for the installation of water treatment plants while the system was being restored. The total service interruption affected 211, 848 people in Esmeraldas, 51, 204 in Atacames, and 32, 885 in Rioverde. The Public Water Utility Association (EPMAPSE) estimated that the emergency would last at least 10 days until the transformer replacement was completed. By 25 September 2025, the San Mateo plant resumed normal operations, restoring drinking water supply to the affected cantons. Following the resolution of the water supply crisis in September, the province entered a preventive monitoring phase during October and November 2025 under a national yellow alert. Institutional efforts focused on drainage cleaning and community preparedness in critical areas of Esmeraldas and Quinindé. However, the beginning of the rainy season towards the end of the year, combined with the intensification of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, progressively saturated urban drainage systems that already presented structural vulnerabilities. By January 2026, the emergency intensified as high-intensity rainfall caused the collapse of stormwater drainage systems in low-lying areas of Esmeraldas city, prompting the declaration of an orange alert in the province to reinforce response actions. As of 25 March 2026, situation reports highlighted severe flooding caused by water accumulation, resulting in mud and wastewater entering homes and significantly affecting household assets and living conditions. This situation required the full activation of Emergency Operations Committees to coordinate water pumping operations in flooded neighborhoods and the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance to populations in areas where water remained stagnant for several days.
Ecuador | Floods and Environmental Contamination – Operation update #6 | Annual Report (MDREC027)
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