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The endangered Tabasara River
photo and story by Oscar Sogandares Guerra

The financing of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project by the European Investment Bank (EIB) has been held back by the claims of environmentalist groups in Panama and Europe. Nevertheless machinery for the project had already entered silently weeks ago. We agreed that on June 6 Miguel Arjona, the ex-mayor of Tole, and Italo Jimenez de Calabacito, both of the April 10 Movement of the Defense of Tabasara (M-10), would accompany me to the site on the Rio Tabasara affected by the machinery working on the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project (Tabasara 1).

Miguel took us towards Rio Tabasara where he continued towards his own property on the Rio Vigui, and related to us how agents of GENISA (Generating of Istmo SA) had offered to buy his land at 3¢ per square meter, which he totally rejected. But already there were some who had sold their land to the company.

On arrival we spoke with Cenobio Gonzalez, who took care of us and provided us with crystalline water of the Tabasara for our trip, a vital element that unfortunately will become scarce as soon as this project is in place. We took the footbridge to the other side because we did not want to encounter company personnel. We traversed footpaths used by the community, from whence one had a view of the bridge and valleys of the impressive Tabasara. Italo said to me that through these same footpaths we would get to Cerro Viejo, Veraguas and the Ngobe-Bugle Comarca itself. Climbing up and down these ridges was more exercise than I had done in months.

Finally we approached the summit of a hill from which we could overlook the other side of the valley. The company's machines had stripped mountainside bare. The construction site was visible as a great red spot of clay. It looked like an enormous wound to the Earth.

The following day there were just two machines: a power shovel and bulldozer that continued to break up the earth. I was told that there were seven machines altogether, some even in the riverbed. I took photos until the batteries began to run out.

Italo said that a certain engineer had approached him and offered $50,000 in the bank to leave the fight and join the company's side. He told him that he would have to consult first with his community, that his first duty was to the people there.

He also referred to the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) for Tabasara 1 (which was the same for Barro Blanco, a different structure) and said that it was full of inconsistencies. For example the company "interviewed" local residents who had been deceased for 50 years. Citing these irregularities they would request annulment of the EIA and therefore of the entire project. It remains to be seen if this will prosper in the courts, as the president and legislature are moving to eliminate environmental impact studies for such projects.

 

The author is a member of the Environmentalist Association of Chiriqui