Bocas del Toro Province
In 2007, Panama’s environmental authority (ANAM) approved the construction of a 223-megawatt hydroelectric dam on the Changuinola River in Bocas del Toro province. Chan 75 (also known as Chan I), was completed in 2011 by AES Changuinola, a Panamanian subsidiary of US-based AES Corporation.
Chan 75 has had a profound impact on the environment, directly affecting four Indigenous Ngäbe communities: Charco la Pava, Guayabal, Changuinola Arriba, and Valle del Rey. For generations, these communities relied on the river and its surrounding land for transportation, fishing, and farming. Due to the dam, they have lost access to cultivable land and the river, affecting not just their livelihoods but their social fabric. Outward migration after the completion of the dam has led to the loss of community cohesion, cultural practices, and traditional knowledge.
From the outset, the Ngäbe communities have steadfastly opposed the dam, but AES’s ‘divide-and-conquer’ tactics have caused bitter divisions within the communities. Some Ngäbe families have not been fairly compensated for their hardships and we urgently petition the government for reparations. It is imperative that our Ngäbe families receive justice and proper compensation for the losses and damages inflicted by Chan 75.
Señor Fermín
“Life has changed. It is more difficult. There is no work now, so what happened when the dam filled? My family left. They went to the city to survive. We are suffering because [of the lack of] food and because life is now so different. I am an old man alone in this place. I can’t connect with my family. It was different before. All my children and grandchildren were here, everybody was here. Now, I don’t have a connection; I don’t have resources. I am alone. The family has disintegrated.”
Virgilio
“Well, compensation was given, but it wasn’t for everything—not for us on the lake, on the riverbank, who lost everything. Life now is not like it used to be. Life used to be easier. There were fish in the river, everything was free, and I would go to the bush. There were animals there. And so on. But when the company came, well, everything changed.”
Enildo
“Well, I think that the government and the company have treated us badly. They have treated badly since the start. In January 2008, I was beaten up when we were opposing the Chan 75 project. We were mistreated by the police. But there are people who will go and say that [the company] has treated us well. That’s a lie. Because up to now, I have not seen anybody who has a better life.”
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