The federal government won’t allocate new funding for the controversial Zapotillo Dam in northeastern Jalisco until agreements have been reached between the federal government, Jalisco and Guanajuato authorities and the local community that will be affected by the project, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced this week.
He reiterated, however, that the unfinished curtain dam on the Verde River will not be demolished and that he expects the project to be concluded one way or another.
By keeping faith with his “peacemaker” profile, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has effectively appeased both sides involved in the debate surrounding the future of the dam, which is designed to pump water to both Guadalajara and the city of Leon.
The president made his comments this week after holding separate meetings on the issue with Jalisco and Guanajuato governors Enrique Alfaro and Diego Sinhué Rodríguez Vallejo, officials from various federal agencies, as well as community leaders from Temacapulín, Acasico and Palmarejo. These three communities would disappear underwater if the dam is built to its originally planned height of 105 meters.
Governor Alfaro welcomed the president’s perspective on the project, while confirming that he wants the dam to proceed but to remain at 80 meters, a height that many engineers say significantly reduces its usefulness. He said his administration has set aside a fund of just over 500 million pesos for any compensation payments to affected locals that may be accrued.
Gabriel Espinoza, the spokesperson for the Comité Salvemos Temacapulín, Acasico y Palmarejo, was also pleased with Lopez Obrador’s conciliatory stance, noting that an opportunity has now opened for a real dialogue to take place on how the region’s hydraulic resources can be best utilized for the benefit of everyone.
The round-table discussions among all parties involved are expected to begin next month.
Although the project will remain stalled, the federal government will provide funding over the next 12 months to ensure that the condition of the dam doesn’t deteriorate further and to prevent landslides.