According to the OCP, the construction of the crude oil pipeline has been completed today. HOWEVER, THE CONSTRUCTION IS NOT ACTUALLY FINISHED. The only part that is finished is that which the consortium is interested in – the part which allows crude oil to be transported as soon as possible. Can we consider a construction project like this to be completed without even the minimal security measures in place? Can the Ecuadorian president sign off on a consortium that flees its responsibilities, and robs and deceives the Ecuadorian people? Can the gold be sealed on the “last part of the construction” while, in various places throughout the pipeline’s trajectory, they keep digging up the pipeline to correct construction problems or fix problems that have already come about due to the pipeline?
Even though the pipeline itself has been assembled and buried under the ground, the right of access is still in question, meaning that the project cannot be considered completed. In many places, such as El Reventador, the OCP was recently placed under ground and, almost immediately, resurfaced. In other parts, the difficult terrain has caused the pipeline to block streambeds, and families whose water source was taken away with the pipeline construction have yet to recuperate their means of getting fresh drinking water.
In general, the “regeneration” with native species in protected areas within private property is a myth. In fact, throughout most of the pipeline route only “gramienas” were planted, the majority of which have died a few weeks after being planted. The result has been that throughout the pipeline’s route, many of the impacted areas have been denuded and subjected to erosion while other areas have begun to be overtaken with weeds and flora that is typically found in degraded locales.
The OCP is responsible for the destruction of roadways and bridges caused by the incessant traffic of heavy trucks and machinery traversing the 503 kilometers. This deleterious impact has not been addressed by the OCP or the authorities in charge of the project and, as a result, no one has done anything to resolve the situation. In addition, neither party has done anything about the numerous egregious mishaps that have occurred throughout the duration of the construction such as the loss of radioactive material in the Quininde river, the deaths (be they voluntary or accidental) of over two dozen workers, the contamination of the Papallacta lagoon and the impact it has had upon Quito’s water resources.
Throughout the entire trajectory of the pipeline, the accords with the impacted communities and municipalities have yet to be sorted out. In Sucumbio, the Amazon Network for Life, which represents over 250 families directly affected by the pipeline route, keep seeking to be duly compensated for the impacts that were not anticipated in the contracts. In Quijos, the association known as “Unified We Are More,” which consists of 255 partners, filed a lawsuit against OCP based on the “Environmental Management Law.” In Mindo, Action for Life also placed a lawsuit against OCP for violating the personal rights addressed in the Constitution (Art. 23, 86, 87, 89 and 91), just like various articles in the Civil Code and regulations in the Forest and Conservation Law dealing with natural areas and plant life.
The OCP has been built entirely too fast. Construction has not yet finished given the fact that the minimal conditions necessary to guarantee the surrounding populations’ security and conservation of the environment have not been implemented.
Acción Ecológica alerts public opinion that to accept this type of project under the present conditions outlined serves to impede the rights and interests of the country and only serves the interests of the companies involved in the construction of the OCP pipeline.
