Emergency Aid for Volcanic Eruption Disaster in Ecuador

November 15, 2002

On November 15 (Fri), the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency aid in kind (portable water tanks, electric generators, water purifiers, etc.), worth approximately 12.9 million yen, to the Government of the Republic of Ecuador, which sustained large-scale damage from volcanic eruptions.
The volcano Reventador in Ecuador erupted on November 3 (Sun) at 7:00 a.m. local time. The eruptions have continued with several lava flows that destroyed houses, bridges and roads mainly in Sucumbios, Pichincha and Napo provinces in the northeastern part of the country, and about 43,000 persons have been afflicted. Approximately 100,000 hectares of farmland has also sustained damage from the eruptions, including ash falls, raising fears of a serious effect on agriculture and stock farming, which is one of the principal industries of the country. The ash falls and other effects of the eruptions paralyzed the functions of the capital city Quito in Pichincha province for a time, with the international airport closed and all activities in the city at a standstill. The Government of Ecuador has declared a state of emergency in those three provinces. The Government of Ecuador has therefore requested emergency aid from Japan, while conducting relief activities on its own for the afflicted areas.
The Government of Japan has decided to extend this emergency assistance from the humanitarian point of view, in light of the seriousness of the disaster and the friendly relations between Japan and Ecuador.

(END)

Back to Index