Panama Bay scheme alert

News|Bretton Woods Project|12 December 2000|update 20|url
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An NGO concerned about a project that will cause irreversible damage to Panama Bay is calling for international support. The Corredor Sur toll road and the Punta Pacifica real estate development are being built by the Mexican-based construction company ICA. El Fundacion para el Desarrollo de la Libertad Ciudadana (Foundation for the Development of Citizen Liberty) has been contesting the scheme for two and a half years. It argues that the two projects are intimately interlinked and that the real estate development is the major justification for the Corredor Sur toll road, which is financed by the World Bank Group's private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The project aims to reclaim portions of Panama Bay to create islands to build luxury apartments. Independent hydrology experts have warned that the islands will obstruct the coastal current and trap raw sewage in the Bay, causing serious environmental and public health problems. The IFC denies this and stands by the Environmental Assessment process. El Fundacion para el Desarrollo de la Libertad Ciudadana is calling on the government to stop the land reclamation and amend the concession contract with the corporation by compensating them with land of equal value in another part of the city or country. They are requesting international supporters to write to the President of Panama.

Her Excellency, Mrs. Mireya Moscoso

President of the Republic of Panama

Palacio de las Garzas, Panama 1, Panama

Fax: +507 227-2332

Further campaign information:

Save Our Bay

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Published: 12 December 2000 , last edited: 27 May 2010

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