12 July 2024

 The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has accelerated plans to construct a new reservoir to guarantee water supply at a cost of US$1.6bn. With the aim of ensuring the canal’s operation going forward, a dam on the Indio River will be put to tender. This follows a difficult 2023, when daily passages were cut in half from the usual 38-40 and October was the driest on record. The dam, which will be put out to public tender, is expected to take six years to complete. More than 2,000 people are expected to be affected by construction and will need to be relocated. The Panama Supreme Court ruled in early July that the Indio River could be used by the ACP. ACP directors warned that the basin water would be exhausted within 10 years without new infrastructure. 

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