Panama president seeks support for vital Río Indio water project

UPI

19 hours ago

July 3 (UPI) -- Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino urged member nations at the Mercosur Summit in Buenos Aires, to back the Río Indio project, a critical infrastructure effort to secure water supplies for the Panama Canal amid mounting climate change pressures.
"I need the support not only of the users, but also of the international community, so this project, led by the Canal Authority, can succeed and move forward as quickly as possible," Mulino said Tuesday.
Mercosur, short for Mercado Común del Sur, is a South American trade bloc formed in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, whose main goal is to promote free trade and economic integration among member countries.
The request followed similar appeals made days earlier during Mulino's official visit to Seville, where he discussed the project with Spain's King Felipe VI, emphasizing the urgency of building a reservoir to safeguard the canal's long-term sustainability.
On the same trip, he also raised the issue with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, noting that the project would benefit not only Panama, but also other canal users, including Chile and Ecuador.
"The Canal is neutral, but its sustainability is a shared responsibility," Mulino said.
The Río Indio project calls for building a multipurpose reservoir in central Panama, in the basin of the river of the same name. The reservoir would hold up to 55.7 billion cubic feet of water and flood an estimated 17.4 square miles.
The plan includes a roughly 5-mile transfer tunnel to Gatún Lake, one of the Panama Canal's main water sources.
The Panama Canal Authority says the reservoir would add 42.4 billion square feet of reliable water annually -- enough to support about 15 additional daily transits and bolster operations during prolonged droughts.
The project carries an estimated cost of $1.6 billion, with at least $400 million allocated for social compensation, community resettlement and environmental mitigation.
Mulino's international strategy seeks not just financial and diplomatic backing, but symbolic support, as well.
In his remarks in Buenos Aires, Mulino referred to a January statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he intended to "take back control" of the Panama Canal. Mulino thanked the international community for its support, saying, "The canal is and will remain Panama's -- a national asset that took 100 years to reclaim."
As climate change intensifies, Panama faces the challenge of balancing national and international water demands with the rights and livelihoods of rural communities.
The Río Indio project has sparked strong opposition from local farmers and social organizations. In May, more than 400 people held a symbolic protest, paddling canoes down the river in defense of their land and way of life.
The canal authority has pledged a process that is "orderly, fair and transparent," and said no family will be relocated without prior consultation.