The protest was called by the Association of People Affected by El Quimbo hydroelectric dam (ASOQUIMBO). The demonstrators from different municipalities affected by the dam aimed to get to the area where the works are taking place. Finally the police stopped them, and they reached the area of the Paso del Colegio bridge, on the way to La Plata municipality.

Last September 30, the communities affected by El Quimbo requested the nullity of the environmental license granted to the Project. The enterprise, which is run by Emgesa (a subsidiary of Endesa and Enel companies), is strongly resisted by the local populations, especially in Garzon and Gigante municipalities, which would be the worst affected towns. However, over five municipalities would be affected. The overall flooding would cover an area of nearly 7,300 hectares of land and nearly 800 families would be displaced.

“These big dams for hydroelectric power generation are being built purely with business purposes. All these projects are aimed at exporting electricity, while the peoples’ basic needs are not met”, Juan Pablo Soler, from Movimiento Rios Vivos of Colombia told Real World Radio.

Soler participated in Friday’s demonstration. “We are fighting to affirm the peasants, fisherfolk and indigenous cultural identity, and to confront what the government is proposing as economic growth”, he said. Following the approach of Juan Manuel Santos’ administration in Colombia “the peasants, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples have to become workers at the dam or miners”.

Soler explained that Emgesa only recognizes large estate owners as affected by its operations, to the detriment of the workers of the area who have no land. “By buying these lands the workers are being expelled without any compensation for damages whatsoever”.

The Colombian leader also regretted the police intervention that did not allow the demonstrators to reach the dam works. At Emgesa’s request, Gigante’s administration issued a decree to prevent vehicle circulation there. “We see how the local government issues a decree to favor or answer to the requests of the company, to the detriment of the people’s right to demonstrate”.

The presence of police forces caused tension and there were long negotiations. Around evening time and after a long day of protests on the road, the demonstrators decided to go home, since they were under serious risk of repression.

The demonstration against El Quimbo dam took place as part of a wave of protests against hydroelectric projects in Colombia that are taking over the rights of local communities. On September 26 there was a demonstration against Hidrosogamoso Project (carried out by ISAGEN), on Sogamoso river in Santander department.

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