Panamians near the Indio River protest a dam project that threatens their homes; authorities promise dialogue, but residents fear losing land and work.
00:00Along the lush banks of Panama's Indio River, uncertainty hangs heavy.
00:12Villagers fear displacement as the government moves forward with plans to build a massive 4,600 hectare dam
00:19intended to secure future water supplies for the Panama Canal.
00:24The dam will create a large reservoir and water will be sent through a tunnel to Lake Gatun.
00:30But this means some villages will be flooded and about 2,500 people could be forced to move.
00:38Around 100 residents have taken to the river in protest voicing their concerns about losing not just their homes but their entire way of life.
00:48Protesting residents say the project would destroy their way of life.
00:52They would lose their homes, land and work and they do not know where they would go.
00:57It is something simple. It is something that touches our lives.
01:04Why? Because if you take it from here, you can remove it from your house, from your work, from your land, your work and your roof.
01:17Where are you going to take it?
01:19The entire community appears to be against leaving and no one wants to go.
01:29There is deep skepticism about relocation promises.
01:45Many residents say they haven't been offered any alternative that makes them feel hopeful about maintaining their current quality of life.
01:52I think that the community is totally negative, right?
01:59That's what I think. I don't think there is someone who will put the pan that they want.
02:04Farmers who are also part of this protest call it unfair that the government and the Panam├б Canal Authority want to build the dam for their own benefit.
02:12We do not get anything from the canal, they say.
02:16We need to have our food.
02:19And I think that it is not a plan to come and say that they have to go out because the government or the ACP wants to make an embalse for the benefit of them.
02:30The Panam├б Canal Authority defends the project, calling it a vital solution to long identified water shortages.
02:49They call it the water of the future.
02:52This project is needed to solve water problems, they add.
02:55The authorities say they want to talk to people and make agreements that work for everyone.
