The Panama Canal faces, 110 years after its inaugurationthe threat of run out of water due to the effect of climate change, amidst international conflicts and the Competition from other trade routesits top officials told AFP on Thursday.
The Panamanian route, which runs on fresh water, celebrated its anniversary this Thursday while recovering from a drought that, at the end of 2023forced a reduction in the daily number of ships transiting the canal from 38 to 22.
Authorities plan to build a reservoir on a nearby river to supply more water to the canal, but more than 2,000 people would have to be relocated. The same basin supplies drinking water to half of Panama’s four million people.
In separate interviews with AFP, the Canal administrator, Ricaurte Vásquez, and the Minister for Canal Affairs, José Ramón Icaza, addressed these issues.
Question: What are the major challenges facing the channel?
Vasquez: The water issue is a national challenge. There are ways to resolve this so that it is not a conflict between human consumption and transit through the Panama Canal. We calculate [que] By the end of the year we should be back to normal. [en los tránsitos] if the rainfall pattern continues.
Icaza: The main challenge is to be able to guarantee water security and maintain confidence in the route so that our clients and users always prefer the Panama Canal. In this sense, we have been working, not just now, but for almost 90 years on different alternatives.
Q: Among those alternatives is the Río Indio reservoir. How is that project going?
Vasquez: Respect for people’s rights comes first in the development of any infrastructure project. Sustainability starts with human sustainability and for us, respecting the rights of people in the basin is the first thing we have in mind.
Icaza: We have been making progress in being able to speak with the communities that could be affected by the project. We are also analyzing other alternatives to be able to provide water security for the next 50 years.
“Threats of all kinds”
Q: Do you feel threatened by projects such as the Maya Train in Mexico, the hypothetical Nicaraguan canal or the dry canal in Colombia?
Vasquez: We know that we are not alone in this game. Threats exist of all kinds, some more visible than others. But 110 years of continuous operation and 500 years of trading tradition are elements that no other country can bring to the table.
Icaza: These ideas have always been there and what I have always said is that as long as the Panama Canal focuses on making its investments, guaranteeing water security and, therefore, having the confidence of the markets, it should have business and should always continue moving forward.
Q: How do international conflicts affect the canal?
Vasquez: Everything that happens in Ukraine or the Middle East, or a trade conflict between the United States and China affects us. [Con la guerra en Ucrania] All the liquefied natural gas traffic that passed from the Gulf of Mexico to Asia through the Panama Canal was lost because now it goes from the Gulf of Mexico to Europe. [por las sanciones a Rusia]There will be threats, there will be threats and we have to be alert.
Icaza: The war in Ukraine is affecting us […]But we also have the situation that is occurring in the Middle East, which is affecting the Suez Canal and the entire security issue, which has generated some benefit for Panama.
The DNA of Panama
The channel It was built by the United Stateswhich supported Panama in achieving its independence from Colombia in 1903.
After a generational struggle, Panama recovered the route in 1999 following an agreement signed in 1977. by Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos and then-US President Jimmy Carter.
It is estimated that 6% of world maritime trade passes through the Panama routewhose main users are the United States and China.
Q: What has the canal contributed to world trade?
Vasquez: We have contributed our geographical position to the world, but beyond all this, I believe that it has given meaning to the country’s reason for being.
Icaza: The Panama Canal has been part of our DNA as a country since we were born as a Republic in 1903. Since we were a province of Colombia, there has been talk of building a canal. Therefore, it represents an important component of our identity as a country.
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