Rural Community Fights a Second Dam and a New Expropriation of Land, Mexico

Chicoasen-dam-mexico
The Chicoasén Dam (Presa Manuel Moreno Torres), view from the reservoir. Photo source: ©© Wikimedia
“There are 4,500 dams in Mexico, 700 of which are large dams. 80% of reservoirs are polluted with industrial, agricultural and residential waste and many are high in sediment accumulation. Close to 180,000 people have been displaced by dams in Mexico;” 11-09-2012. Captions: International Rivers

Excerpts;

In 1976, the construction of a hydroelectric dam destroyed farmland in the rural municipality of Chicoasén in southern Mexico. Forty years later, part of the local population is fighting a second dam, which would deprive them of more land.

The 240-MW Chicoasén 2 dam, to be built at a cost of 300 million dollars, is scheduled to come onstream in July 2018.

The Chicoasén 2 environmental impact study says the dam will directly affect five communities in the municipality and will indirectly affect another 10. It also acknowledges that the dam, the reservoir and the hypdropower plant will hurt the landscape, wildlife and surface drainage…

Read Full Article, IPS News

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