THE panama Canal Authority (ACP) sees the US$1.6 billion proposed reservoir Rio Indio project as a way of countering drought and facilitating the daily transit of 15 additional ships, reports New York's FreightWaves.
The Panama Canal currently connects 180 maritime routes that reach 1,920 ports in 170 countries around the world, through which nearly three per cent of global maritime trade passes, according to the ACP.
Last year, the canal experienced its worst drought since 1950, with water levels dropping to their lowest point in January, almost six feet lower than the same month in 2023.
To alleviate the impact of future droughts, the ACP has proposed the reservoir project that would dam the nearby Indio River and drill a five-mile tunnel funnelling reservoir water into Gatun Lake, which supplies water to the canal.
The Rio Indio Reservoir project, which could take five years or more to complete, could allow up to 15 additional ship transits per day through the canal. But the project has faced criticism from local farmers and communities whose land risks being flooded by the construction of the reservoir.
On July 2, Panama's Supreme Court reinstated a previous law, which expands the boundaries of the ACP's watershed to include 1.4 million additional acres along the canal, compared to the 741,316 acres that were managed before the ruling.
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The Panama Canal currently connects 180 maritime routes that reach 1,920 ports in 170 countries around the world, through which nearly three per cent of global maritime trade passes, according to the ACP.
Last year, the canal experienced its worst drought since 1950, with water levels dropping to their lowest point in January, almost six feet lower than the same month in 2023.
To alleviate the impact of future droughts, the ACP has proposed the reservoir project that would dam the nearby Indio River and drill a five-mile tunnel funnelling reservoir water into Gatun Lake, which supplies water to the canal.
The Rio Indio Reservoir project, which could take five years or more to complete, could allow up to 15 additional ship transits per day through the canal. But the project has faced criticism from local farmers and communities whose land risks being flooded by the construction of the reservoir.
On July 2, Panama's Supreme Court reinstated a previous law, which expands the boundaries of the ACP's watershed to include 1.4 million additional acres along the canal, compared to the 741,316 acres that were managed before the ruling.
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