Panama Canal expansion plan challenged in Supreme Court

A group of Panamanians facing displacement due to a plan to expand the Panama Canal's capacity filed a complaint with the Supreme Court on Thursday. They argue that the $1.6 billion project to build an artificial lake is unconstitutional.

The Panama Canal had to limit the number of ships passing through in 2023 and 2024 due to drought.

The plan calls for the construction of an artificial lake on the Rio Indio River, which will allow for up to 15 additional ships to transit daily during the dry season and also provide drinking water to Panama's residents. According to estimates by the Panama Canal Authority, the project will require the relocation of approximately 2,500 people.

The Coordinadora Campesina por la Vida group, representing villagers in the areas slated for flooding, claims that most of them do not want to move. The complainants argue that the project is unconstitutional and disregards human rights and international environmental agreements.

About 100 farmers protested in front of the court building on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Florentin Chiru, vice-president of the complaining group, said the canal authority was lying when it claimed that 85 percent of residents supported the project in a survey. "They never asked the key question: 'Gentlemen, do you want to leave your land, yes or no?' So what kind of survey is this?" he said.

The Coordinadora Campesina de la Vida also assessed that, instead of the Rio Indio variant, the previously considered alternative plan, which envisages the construction of a lake on the Bayano River, should be implemented. According to the complainants, this would not require the relocation of families.

Materials published on the Panama Canal website state that, contrary to initial assessments, the Bayano River option would have a worse impact on communities and the environment than the Rio Indio option.

The construction of the lake is part of an $8.5 billion project to expand the canal so that it can handle more ships and better meet the demand for port services, according to the authorities. (PAP)

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