In Panama economic needs threaten to erase a way of life

Summary

Consider This from NPR: In Panama Economic Needs Threaten to Erase a Way of Life

Released February 13, 2025

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Introduction: The Heart of Rio Indio

The episode opens with a vivid portrayal of the Rio Indio, a serene river that forms the lifeblood of the small Panamanian village, Limon de Chagres. Digna Benite, a 60-year-old resident, shares her deep connection to the river:

"This river is my whole life," she says wistfully under her straw hat. (00:17)

Growing up alongside the river, Digna's life has been intertwined with its rhythms. The river's cleanliness and calmness symbolize harmony for her, a stark contrast to the looming threats it now faces.

Panama Canal's Water Dilemma and the Dam Proposal

The central conflict arises from Panama's urgent need to secure additional freshwater for the Panama Canal. Every time a ship transits the canal, over 50 million gallons of fresh water from Lake Gatun are released into the ocean. Although Panama is one of the rainiest countries globally, recent severe droughts have prompted authorities to consider constructing the Rio Indio Dam.

Reporter Ari Shapiro explains:

"Panama has been looking for solutions to a long term problem... authorities have decided to get it by building a dam in a spot that would displace Digna, Olagario, and more than 2,000 other people." (01:13)

The proposed dam's location threatens the livelihoods of the river's inhabitants, transforming their peaceful existence into one of uncertainty and displacement.

Environmental and Climate Context

While the immediate cause of the drought is attributed to El Niño, the episode delves deeper into the complexities of climate patterns. Stephen Patton from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute provides valuable insights:

"Our data goes back to 1880... the driest years in more than a century of record-keeping have been in just the last decade." (05:28)

Patton highlights the ambiguity surrounding the drought's causes, pondering whether it's an isolated event or a harbinger of more significant climatic shifts. This uncertainty underscores the pressing need for sustainable water management solutions.

Impact on Local Communities

The construction of the Rio Indio Dam isn't just an environmental issue; it's a direct threat to the social fabric of Limon de Chagres. Jorge Luis Quijano, former administrator of the Panama Canal, addresses the government's plans for relocation:

"We're going to make sure that we relocate them to a place where they can continue with their life and probably improve on that." (06:05)

However, the villagers remain unconvinced. Digna Benite expresses her fears:

"I feel as if they would kill us because we wouldn't be surrounded by nature anymore." (03:04)

Residents like Alejandrina Munoz emphasize the stark difference between their abundant, self-sufficient lifestyle and the government's promises of improved living conditions:

"Irice por un Panama verde y por respeto a la naturaleza no queremos reservoir." (07:32)

Translated, her sign reads: "For a green Panama and out of respect for nature, we do not want a reservoir or a dam." This sentiment echoes throughout the community, highlighting their resistance to losing their cherished way of life.

Community Response and Resistance

The villagers of Limon de Chagres have galvanized their opposition against the dam with unified protests and chants:

"Our river is not for sale. We will defend it." (07:48)

This rallying cry mirrors recent protests in Panama City against President Trump's attempts to influence the Panama Canal's operations, underscoring a broader struggle for sovereignty and environmental respect. The community's solidarity is palpable, with no visible support for the government's redevelopment plans.

Expert Opinions and Data Analysis

Stephen Patton offers a balanced perspective, acknowledging the scientific fascination with the changing climate while also recognizing the human cost:

"Whenever you see a really impactful phenomenon, there's this scientist side saying, wow, that's really fascinating. But then the other human side says, ooh, that's really bad." (05:01)

His research hints at emerging patterns that could signify deeper environmental shifts, further justifying Panama's quest for additional water resources. Nonetheless, the ethical implications of such large-scale infrastructure projects remain contentious.

Conclusion: A Fight for Heritage and Sustainability

The episode culminates in a poignant reflection on the delicate balance between economic necessity and cultural preservation. As Panama grapples with ensuring the Panama Canal's operational viability, the residents of Limon de Chagres stand as guardians of their heritage, resisting changes that threaten their harmonious existence with nature.

Digna Benite's heartfelt plea encapsulates the community's struggle:

"It's not just about a reservoir or a dam; it's about preserving our way of life and our respect for nature." (07:38)

The episode leaves listeners contemplating the broader implications of development projects on indigenous communities and the environment, emphasizing the need for solutions that honor both economic and ecological integrity.

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Produced by: Karen Zamora, Rolando Arrieta, Andrea Salcedo, Alejandra Marquez Hanse, and Tomas Ayuso
Edited by: Courtney Dorning and Nadia Lancy
Executive Producer: Sami Yenigun

Consider This is brought to you by NPR. Support our journalism at plus.npr.org/considerthis.

Transcript

[Narrator]

We're standing at the edge of this beautiful river. I can see little fish swimming just under the surface. There's a small hand carved wooden canoe floating under a tree. What does this body of water mean to you?

[Reporter]

This river is my whole life, says 60 year old Digna Benite. She smiles wistfully under her straw hat. She grew up here on the Rio Indio in a small village in Panama called Limon de Chagres. She would play in the water while her father caught fish. The water is so clean and calm, she says. It rises and falls. For me, it's harmony. A long narrow boat pulls up. Digna Benite and a younger man named Olagario Sedenio help us climb in and we pull away from the shore.

[Narrator]

The boat pulls over to the edge of the Rio Indio and we climb up some steep stairs that are basically carved into the mud bank. Oligarrio, what are you showing us.

[Reporter]

Here? I'm showing you where the dam would be, he says. The Rio Indio Dam. It doesn't exist yet, but authorities intend to start building it in just a couple years. Panama has been looking for solutions to a long term problem. Every time a ship passes through the Panama canal, more than 50 million gallons of fresh water from Lake Gatun pour out into the ocean. Nobody ever thought Panama could run out of water. It is one of the rainiest countries in the world. But a couple years ago a drought got so bad that the canal had to reduce traffic by more than a third, which had a huge impact on global shipping. Consider the Panama Canal needs more water and authorities have decided to get it by building a dam in a spot that would displace Digna Oligarrio and more than 2,000 other people. From NPR, I'm Ari Shapiro.

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[Reporter]

It'S Consider this from NPR. In a wide grassy field in rural Panama, Digna Benite looks out at the spot where the Panama Canal Authority plans to build a new dam. We stand in the shade of a wild coffee tree, the fragrance like honeysuckle wafting off branches full of white blossoms.

[Narrator]

Senora Digna, when you see this place and you think about what might happen here, what goes through your head?

[Digna Benite]

I feel as if they would kill us because we wouldn't be surrounded by nature anymore. For example, this coffee plant that we're standing by, I grab the bean, I take it, I Toast it, and then that's the coffee that I have in the mornings.

[Reporter]

It would be simplistic to say this problem is all because of climate change. Climate scientists say the data point to a more complicated reality. At the shore of another body of water. Tropical birds squabble in the trees at the edge of the jungle. Lake Gatun is a freshwater reservoir created by the construction of another dam more than a century ago during the creation of the Panama Canal.

[Stephen Patton]

My name is Stephen Patton, and I'm in charge of the physical monitoring program for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

[Reporter]

Patton has no view on whether the much smaller Rio Indio Dam should be built or not. What he does have is research, perhaps more than any other tropical rainforest in the world.

[Stephen Patton]

Our data goes back to 1880, when the French first arrived to start doing their construction. One of the first things they did was to install climate stations because they knew that rainfall was going to be an incredibly important thing.

[Reporter]

As we walk down a modern metal dock, a startled iguana takes a swan dive. It just jumped off the dock into the water and climbed up on a rock.

[Narrator]

I can see it down there now.

[Reporter]

Patton says a couple years ago, that iguana might have landed on dry dirt.

[Stephen Patton]

Imagine right now, the water is only about 2ft below the level of the dock. It was something like 1012ft. We had to go down a ladder to get on the boat.

[Reporter]

And for you as a researcher, is that, like, this feels dire and frightening, or is it, like, what an exciting thing to research?

[Stephen Patton]

Whenever you see a really impactful phenomenon, there's this scientist side saying, wow, that's really fascinating. But then the other human side says, ooh, that's really bad.

[Reporter]

The drought was caused by El Nino, and scientists have not found a clear connection between El Nino and a warming planet. But Patton says there are some strange patterns emerging. The driest years in more than a century of record keeping have been in just the last decade.

[Stephen Patton]

So we don't know whether this is just an outlier, that it was just random. We just threw three double sixes in a row, or whether it represents the canary in the coal mine.

[Reporter]

That helps explain why Panama is looking for ways to increase the supply of fresh water to the canal.

[Jorge Luis Quijano]

Right now, we are late by six years.

[Reporter]

Jorge Luis Quijano was administrator of the canal from 2012 to 2019.

[Jorge Luis Quijano]

The funding for that project included half of it was for actual environmental and social aspects.

[Reporter]

What is your message to the people in the communities who would be displaced by the construction of this dam?

[Jorge Luis Quijano]

We're going to make sure that we relocate them to a place where they can continue with their life and probably improve on that. They are in areas where there's no electricity. So one of the things that this project could probably provide is also hydroelectric power. They have no potable water. We would have a potable water plant as well. They have a marginal lifestyle.

[Digna Benite]

We are happy here. We have water, we have electricity because we have solar panels. We have everything here.

[Reporter]

Back in the village of Limon de Chagres, Alejandrina Munoz washes dishes as she prepares a breakfast of eggs, yuca and coffee sweetened with sugar cane. Everything she cooks comes from her land or from the river. She says fresh water from a nearby mountain spring flows right into her home and pours out of the tap.

[Narrator]

If the dam is built, what will this place be?

[Alejandrina Munoz]

Que daria vajo de la goy.

[Digna Benite]

It would be underwater. And where are we going to go?

[Reporter]

The Canal Authority told us they haven't yet decided where displaced people would be resettled. To Munoz, this is the opposite of a marginal lifestyle. She experiences abundance more than hardship. Relatives who live in the city sometimes drive here to take extra food off her hands. There's a hand painted sign in front of her house.

[Alejandrina Munoz]

Irice por un Panama verde y porres peto a la naturalesa no queremo reservoir.

[Digna Benite]

And it says, for a green Panama and for respect of nature. We do not want a reservoir or a dam.

[Reporter]

As we walk through the village, most of the houses have similar signs. No a los reservorio no to the reservoir, they say. Dozens of community members have gathered in a shaded outdoor meeting space next to the church to tell us how they feel. I ask the group whether anyone feels tempted by the life of luxury that the government promises. No, we won't accept it, they say. If anyone here supports the government proposal, we couldn't find them. After several people express their individual views, the group stands together and joins in a chant. Our river is not for sale. We will defend it. They shout. This is almost to a word, the same chant that urban Panamanians yelled as they shut down wide avenues of Panama City last week, protesting President Trump's effort to take the Panama Canal. The villagers say this is a smaller version of the same argument. To them, it's about sovereignty and respect. This episode was produced by Karen Zamora, Rolando Arrieta, Andrea Salcedo, Alejandra Marquez Hanse and Tomas Ayuso. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Nadia Lancy, with help from Alejandra Barunda and Neela Banerjee. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. And a thank you to our Consider this Plus listeners who support the show. If that's not you, if it could be supporters also hear every episode without sponsor messages. Learn more at the link in our episode notes. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Ari Shapiro.

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