environment

Court rules in hydro cases

A water court found police guilty of using excessive force against opponents of hydroelectric plants in Bocas del Toro.

The plants affect rivers in regions where indigenous people claim water rights.

LA PRENSA

hot water: Two activist groups are representing the residents of Charco La Pava in lawsuits against the State, arguing that the hydro plants endanger both community and the environment. 1090049

A ruling by the Tribunal Latinoamericano del Agua determined the Panamanian government guilty of allowing police to use excessive force against indigenous residents of Charco La Pava, a community in the province of Bocas del Toro that has tirelessly protested the construction of hydroelectric plants in the region.

Violent clashes between Naso and Ngöbe inhabitants and officers of the Policía Nacional broke out in January, after power giant Aes Changuinola built a hydroelectric plant on the Río Changuinola.

The court, an autonomous entity specializing in resolving disputes over water resources in Latin America, also found that the company had violated environmental regulations in their use of the river’s waters.

Meanwhile, Colombian company Empresa Pública de Medellín (EPM), which is currently developing a hydroelectric plant on the Río Bonyic, also in Bocas del Toro, has suggested that the Tribunal require Panama to adhere to the same principles of social and environmental responsibility that characterize their projects in Colombia.

Whatever the Tribunal decides in that matter will have to be reviewed by the non-governmental agencies Alianza para la Conservación y el Desarrollo (ACD) and Consumo Ético.

The ACD, which represents the indigenous communities affected by the construction of hydroelectric plants, submitted an argument claiming that the projects endanger the existence of the communities and violate their right to access the rivers’ waters.

Likewise, Consumo Ético has sued the Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (Anam) for granting the companies permanent concessions to water resources that fall within the Comarca, where indigenous peoples enjoy special rights.

Anam officials released a communiqué stating that the Tribunal has yet to notify them of its ruling, and, therefore, could not comment on the case.

Anam legal advisor Harley Mitchell represented the State at the hearing last week, which took place in Guatemala.

Aes Changuinola representatives asserted that their hydroelectric project complies with environmental standards and that the company has absolute respect for human rights of all residents in the region.