Panama farmers protest reservoir plan

Farmers and residents marched in Limón de Chagres on April 25 against the Panama Canal Authority’s plan to build a reservoir on the Río Indio. (ticotimes.net) (cna.org.cy) The protest ended on the riverbank where the dam would create an artificial lake, and families who say their land would be flooded joined the march. (ticotimes.net) (reutersconnect.com) The Panama Canal Authority says the Río Indio lake is part of its water projects program and is meant to protect canal operations and drinking water supplies during future droughts. (pancanal.com) The canal’s board approved the project in February 2025 under Resolution ACP-JD-RM 25-1542, framing it as a national water-security priority. (pancanal.com 1) (pancanal.com 2) Canal officials say the reservoir would help supply water to more than 50% of Panama’s population, nearby communities and the canal itself. The authority has also said the project would improve long-term operating reliability. (pancanal.com 1) (pancanal.com 2) The push comes after the canal’s 2023-2024 drought crisis, when low water levels forced transit restrictions and turned freshwater storage into a central business and political issue. (pancanal.com) Opponents say the project is not just about engineering. Community groups, church leaders and peasant organizations have argued that consultation has been flawed and that resettlement would break up long-settled farming communities. (reutersconnect.com) (newsroompanama.com) The canal says it has already completed more than 200 community and individual meetings in a first phase of dialogue with families in the basin. It also points to local projects on water systems, schools, conservation and farm production. (pancanal.com 1) (pancanal.com 2) This is not the first mobilization over Río Indio. About 200 people traveled by boat along the river in May 2025 to protest the same reservoir plan. (yahoo.com) (reuters.screenocean.com) The canal has put the project at the center of its fiscal 2026 budget and public planning, while residents are still trying to stop it on the ground. For now, the fight over water for ships has become a fight over land for farmers. (pancanal.com) (ticotimes.net)