No Mine on Cerro Chorcha: Remembering the Flood of September 3, 2008

Residents of Besikö, in the Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca in western Panama, are accustomed to living with the seasonal rains that come every year from May through November, but last September's sudden inundation caught everyone by surprise. On the evening of September 3rd, 2008, as families were settling down for the night, villagers along the Fonseca River were startled to see water entering their homes and spreading through their fields. In the darkness and the rain, hundreds of people gathered their children, animals, and few valuables and climbed into the trees to escape the rising river. Clinging to the trees in the night, they wondered what would be left of their homes and livestock when day came and the waters receded.

The morning light revealed a landscape of destruction. Dozens of homes had collapsed or washed away. Giant tree trunks and other debris rested far inland where the high water had deposited them. The bodies of drowned cattle, horses, and other domestic animals lay on the banks of the river. And worst of all, several people were missing. Local leaders organized search parties to look for the victims while others began the difficult task of clearing debris and relocating the now-homeless families. The final death toll included 6 people and countless farm animals.

A year later, dozens of families remain homeless and landless, squatting in shelters made of scraps of tin and plastic tarps on a narrow strip of land between the river and the main road. The government prohibited the displaced families from returning to the low-lying land where they were living citing flooding concerns, but the officials have failed to follow through on promises to allocate new land to the victims. The families continue to live a precarious existence without adequate housing, proper sanitary or cooking facilities, or land for growing food.

The September 3rd flood reveals just how vulnerable the Ngöbe are to any natural or man-made events that upset the delicate balance of the fragile tropical mountain ecosystem in which they live. Scientists predict that global warming will increase the frequency of extreme rainfall events in Panama. Open-pit mines like those proposed by Dominion Minerals will destabilize steep mountain slopes and accelerate soil erosion, subjecting downslope communities to constant threat of landslides, flooding, and water siltation. Should Dominion's plans for Cerro Chorcha proceed as planned, the combined impacts of heavy rainfall and destabilized mountainsides will spell disaster for the Ngöbe.

Out of the flood waters has risen a new determination in Besikö to do everything possible to prevent another September 3rd. The community strongly opposes Dominion Minerals and the Cerro Chorcha mining project, which has become synonymous for environmental devastation. At a recent event protesting the mine, one high school student expressed the views of many, saying, "It is important to protect nature for future generations. If we fail to defend nature, we fail coming generations. We say yes to life, no to destruction by mining!"