US EditionPlanned water reserve intended to ease shortages in the Panama Canal fuels river protest
- On May 16, 2025, around 200 people, mostly farmers, protested on dozens of boats along the Indio River in Panama against a planned canal reservoir.
- The protest followed plans by the Panama Canal Authority to build a $1.6 billion reservoir using the Indio River to address severe 2023 water shortages affecting canal operations and Panama City water supply.
- The reservoir would take four years to complete, provide water for over two million people, increase daily ship crossings by 12 to 13, and support new water treatment facilities, but would displace about 2,000 residents through flooding.
- Protesters demanded consultation and permission from affected communities, while officials dismissed alternative ideas due to cost, legal, and logistical challenges, noting another project would displace 200,000 people; former Canal administrator Jorge Luis Quijano stressed water storage necessity.
- The protest highlights community opposition to the reservoir and suggests that balancing canal efficiency and local impacts requires ongoing dialogue and resettlement planning with stakeholders.
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Associated Press News+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
Planned water reserve intended to ease shortages in the Panama Canal fuels river protest
Dozens of boats carrying around 200 people traveled along the country’s central Indio River on Friday in protest against a planned reservoir in the Panama Canal intended to solve water shortages in the waterway that have threatened international trade flow.
·United States
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