Lima, Jan 23 (IANS): The Peruvian government has declared a 90-day environmental emergency in the coastal area of Lima which has been affected by a recent oil spill, the Ministry of the Environment said.

The government has called it one of the "most important ecological disasters" on the coast in recent years, reports Xinhua news agency.

The resolution was approved by Minister of the Environment Ruben Ramirez, who heads the Environmental Crisis Committee that is trying to mitigate the effects of the oil spill.

The oil spill occurred on January 15 when an oil tanker was unloading at one of the terminals of La Pampilla Refinery, operated by Repsol, in the province of Callao, neighbouring Lima.

Repsol reported on January 21 that the cleanup of the areas affected by the oil spill should be completed by the end of February, and that 1,580 cubic metres of contaminated sand had been removed.

The spill has affected the beaches of Costa Azul, Ventanilla, Cavero and Playa Grande, among others, as well as 512 hectares in the Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve System, and 1,758 hectares in the Ancon Reserved Zone.