Open letter to the President of Panama: Immediate suspension of test flooding in Barro Blanco

The document is an open letter from several international organisations urging President Varela of Panama to stop test flooding at the Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Power Plant. The authors argue that the flooding threatens the safety and sacred lands of Ngäbe communities, specifically Kiad, Nuevo Palomar, and Quebrada Caña, and violates international human rights law regarding free, prior and informed consent.

• The National Authority for Public Services (ASEP) announced that the Barro Blanco reservoir would begin filling on May 24, with water levels expected to reach 103 meters above sea level by June 21, 2016.
• A 2012 UNDP fact-finding mission identified that the flooding would directly impact the Ngäbe communities of Kiad, Nuevo Palomar and Quebrada Caña, submerging over 6 hectares of land, including six houses and a petroglyph in Quebrada Caña.
• The affected communities were not notified or consulted before the flooding process began, which the authors state violates international human rights law concerning the right to free, prior and informed consent and the right to traditional lands.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2016). Open letter to the President of Panama: Immediate suspension of test flooding in Barro Blanco. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/open-letter-to-the-president-of-panama-immediate-suspension-of-test-flooding-in-barro-blanco/

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Open letter to the President of Panama: Immediate suspension of test flooding in Barro Blanco. 2016. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/open-letter-to-the-president-of-panama-immediate-suspension-of-test-flooding-in-barro-blanco/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Open letter to the President of Panama: Immediate suspension of test flooding in Barro Blanco |date=1 June 2016 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/open-letter-to-the-president-of-panama-immediate-suspension-of-test-flooding-in-barro-blanco/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatch2016open, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Open letter to the President of Panama: Immediate suspension of test flooding in Barro Blanco}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/open-letter-to-the-president-of-panama-immediate-suspension-of-test-flooding-in-barro-blanco/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }