No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsEnvironment and WildlifeNicaragua Canal project surrounded by air of intimidation, opponents say

Nicaragua Canal project surrounded by air of intimidation, opponents say

On the second anniversary of the Nicaraguan Canal concession, opponents traveled to Costa Rica Wednesday to raise awareness about the potential environmental and social costs of the mega-project.

Opponents of the 278-kilometer interoceanic canal, which is expected to carve Nicaragua in half from the Pacific to Atlantic, told The Tico Times that the government has created an atmosphere of intimidation to stifle dissent and pressured the media to downplay the concerns of environmentalists and landholders who face expropriation of their land.

Read: Will the Nicaragua Canal ruin the ‘Galapagos of Central America’?

On Wednesday afternoon, representatives from social and environmental groups are meeting at the University of Costa Rica leading up to a national march against the $50 billion project in Juigalpa, Nicaragua, on Saturday, June 13. Organizers of the march said that they hope to send a message to possible investors that there is widespread opposition to the project.

The Nicaragua Canal project involves the proposed construction of two new ports, an airport and a hydroelectric dam, the dredging of large swaths of Caribbean wetlands and a channel the length of Lake Cocibolca deep enough to handle Post-Panamax cargo ships.

Octavio Ortega of the National Commission in Defense of the Land, Lake and Sovereignty said that in recent months the Sandinista government has taken to militarizing the communities along the proposed canal route. Ortega and others alleged that police have established a permanent presence in schools and other public buildings along the route. The police and military presence along the corridor has created an air of intimidation that has kept many from speaking out, he said.

The commission leader alleged that the military has been harassing peasants under the pretense of protecting the environment in Ometepe, the volcano-peaked tourist destination on Lake Cocibolca, also known as Lake Nicaragua.

“If the military is there to protect the environment, why are they letting this canal destroy Lake Nicaragua,” Ortega said.

See also: Poet Ernesto Cardenal on Gran Canal project: ‘We should denounce to the world what is happening in Nicaragua’

A young boy plays near two fishing boats along the shore of Lake Cocibolca in Rivas, Nicaragua.
Inti Ocón/AFP

Canal opponents said that the steamrolling approval process for the concession has disregarded the environmental impact of the project. It took nearly two years after the project’s concession was approved by lawmakers for an environmental impact study to be released, another sign to opponents that the government has little regard for the lake and those who depend on it.

Costa Rican authorities have expressed concerned about how the government will protect the San Juan River from sedimentation shifted during the dredging process.

In March, a British consultancy, Environmental Resources Management, and HKND Group, the Hong Kong-based corporation to build and manage the concession, presented their environmental impact study for the mega-project. A review panel found significant flaws in ERM’s assessment, calling it “indefensible” and “not realistic.”

That same month, the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) and others denounced alleged human rights abuses by the Nicaraguan government related to the canal project at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C. Among the concerned raised were the environmental impact of dredging in the freshwater Lake Cocibolca, illegal detention of protesters and police aggression, and not consulting Afro-descendent and indigenous people living in the path of the canal.

(Courtesy Ramsar)
(Courtesy Ramsar)

Advocates have mobilized 46 marches across Nicaragua to protest the project that they say was rushed through the legislature and threatens the largest freshwater lake in Central America. Organizers of Saturday’s march said they hope to send a message to outside investors that the 373,000 people estimated to be affected by the mega-project will not roll over without a fight.

Confronting deaf ears in Nicaragua, the delegation said that it was important to build regional opposition against the project. The delegation said that the threats to Lake Cocibolca will ripple through all of Central America, not just Nicaragua.

“This is something that should be discussed professionally with information across all of Central America. This project is going to impact the entire region,” said Mónica López, executive director of POPOL NA, a pro-democracy nongovernmental organization.

López said that opposition to the canal cuts across Nicaraguan political parties and social groups. She stopped short of suggesting that the Grand Canal could trigger outrage on the scale seen recently in Guatemala and Honduras over corruption allegations, but said it was a movement with great potential.

“People are upset,” López said. “This goes beyond the canal.”

Trending Now

Costa Rica Celebrates 201st Annexation Anniversary With New Nicoya Park

Nearly 200 people joined the Municipality of Nicoya this Sunday to inaugurate a new park at the Annexation Monument, an initiative that blends recreation,...

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Remittances to Central America Surge 20% Amid U.S. Deportation Fears

Family remittances in Central America grew by around 20% in the first half of 2025, according to official data—a rise that experts attribute to...

Venezuelan Migrants Describe Torture After Deportation to El Salvador

“You’re going to rot in here. You’ll spend 300 years in prison.” That’s what Maikel Olivera says guards repeatedly told him during his four-month...

Costa Rica Food Culture: From Bar Bocas to Fast Food Chains

Once upon a time in Costa Rica, you could walk into a bar, order a beer, and receive a free boca – a small...

Costa Rica Fails to Meet Human Rights Standards for Deportees

The Ombudsman's Office has confirmed that Costa Rica was unprepared to provide adequate care for deportees who have entered the country since February. This...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica