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STORY: :: Tres Hermanas, Panama This unpaved road crosses the rural and self-sustaining Tres Hermanas community in Panama. But these lush valleys, home to dozens of towns, will be submerged if the Panama Canal Authority moves ahead with a plan to build a massive reservoir on the Indio River. :: Rodolfo Hernandez, Tres Hermanas resident “All that you see here, the green trees seen throughout this area, everything would be lost.” Rodolfo Hernandez is a local resident. “…The Indio River community has not yet said yes to them.” The proposal to dam the river over the next six years pits the future of thousands of people against the water needs of the powerful Canal Authority. Some don’t want to leave. Others are focused on getting fair compensation if they are forced to move. And public opposition could derail the entire project. :: Lake Alajuela, PanamaBut with more extreme weather seen over the last decade set to continue, the $1.6 billion dollar proposal seems as necessary as it seems extreme. :: Record-setting droughtTres Hermanas sits here. The state-owned Canal Authority aims to create a vast dam on the Rio Indio to secure extra freshwater. The 50-mile-long artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans relies on freshwater to operate its locks and, the Authority says, provide drinking water. Ricaurte Vazquez is the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority. :: Ricaurte Vazquez, Administrator, Panama Canal Authority “…And that imposes a relative disadvantage in relation to all other maritime navigation systems in the world." :: Panama Canal AuthorityWhy? Because last year was the third driest year in the canal’s 110-year history. :: Lake Gatun, PanamaAnd meteorologists forecast more severe droughts and faster water evaporation amid hotter temperatures. The waterway is Panama’s main source of hard-currency revenue and accounts for 3.1% of the country’s GDP. It is critical to U.S. imports of vehicle and commercial goods from Asia, and for U.S. exports of commodities, including liquefied natural gas. The latest drought forced vessel traffic to be restricted. But the new plan would allow up to 15 extra canal transits a day during the dry season. The Authority believes the Rio Indio reservoir project is the most complete solution to more frequent droughts. VAZQUEZ: "We understand that this is the most important challenge to maintain the canal's sustainability in the long term in the face of demand, due to Panama's population growth, which will require fresh drinking water for its consumption and that leads us to the national conversation of how to tackle this problem." :: Approvals and relocation The project must still pass a long approval process, including a public consultation. But some infrastructure work, including a bridge, is already visible. The Ministry of Public Works has said the bridge is for cars and people to cross the river. Ilya Espino de Marotta is the canal’s deputy administrator. :: Ilya Espino de Marotta, Deputy Administrator, Panama Canal Authority "Of course, the most complicated part is the process of resettling people. These are conversations that need to be held individually with each family...” To contain the Rio Indio, some 2,260 people would have to be relocated, according to an initial survey by the Canal Authority. 2,000 more would be at least partially impacted. A more accurate census should be completed in January. The project has set aside $400 million, mainly for relocations. But opinions are divided. Some would be willing to sell their land, while others want to fight the project. Dilubino Agraje Dominguez represents the Rio Indio communities through the activist group Countrymen Coordinator for Life. :: Dilubino Agraje Dominguez, Representative, Rio Indio communities"The countryside, nature, their peace for life, for work is what makes them happy. You can show them beautiful, modern things, all well-arranged, but it is not the same for the resident who is used to living under his thatched roof, taking his time to go to the mountain and resting at home whichever day he wants…” The shipping industry is apprehensive.:: November 8, 2023The country’s Supreme Court recently suspended a controversial mining contract with Canada's First Quantum Minerals, after broad public opposition. And instrumental in blocking the contract was Countrymen Coordinator for Life. :: Another option There is an alternative: to transfer water from an existing reservoir fed by the Bayano River. This plan could be finished sooner, without relocations, and is gaining traction among local communities. “There is a real importance to maintain healthy rivers...” Professor LeRoy Poff is an expert on aquatic ecology from the University of Colorado. “I think from an environmental damage point of view that this dam has many negative impacts and very few positive benefits that couldn't be acquired through this alternative project.” :: Panama Canal AuthorityBut the Canal Authority discarded the Bayano option 8 years ago over higher costs and its location. And lawyers say it could mean complicated negotiations with the hydroelectric power providers involved. Faced with a changing climate, Deputy Administrator Espino thinks both projects will be needed in the long run. Ahead of the next drought, the Canal wants shippers to consolidate cargoes and could deploy water recycling measures, if needed.For residents of Tres Hermanas, resource-intense expansion must have a limit. HERNANDEZ: "We are not against the progress of our country, our country must progress, but it must be according to what is necessary and not harming its people."
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