Radio Mundo Real

The occupation of the construction works of El Zapotillo dam for a week on Rio Verde, Jaslico, Mexico, by the residents of the community of Temacapulin was necessary so that the federal government agreed to talk with them about the works, something it had resisted for over five years.

Last Friday April 1st there was dialogue between the federal government’s secretariat, the National Water Commission (Conagua) and the Committee Save Temacapulin, Acasico and Palmarejo, which had been blocking the works of the dam after years of demands for their rights threatened by the dam.

The negotiations that will begin sessioning immediately represent an important achievement of the community while it dismisses threats to file criminal actions against the peaceful demonstrators, as had been mentioned the previous week.

On April 1st, the residents of Temacapulin heards the helicopter that was taking the federal representatives and the representatives of the corporation that regulates water use and supply, and realized they had achieved something that had been denied to them in five years, and which has repercussions in their lives.

The members of the Committee agreed to lift the occupation to give way to three thematic roundtables that will address the analysis of the work’s legal status, human rights violations against the community that will be impacted by the dam and looking for alternatives to the dam.

The discussions would end in a Resolution Board that should reach conclusions by April. As part of the guarantees demanded by the community, the non aggression against all the members and advisors of the movement by the federal government was guaranteed”, as well as to stop filing criminal actions against them.

In Temacapulin, the Mexican Movement of People Affected by Dams and For Rivers (Mapder) calls to be on the alert to the outcomes of the conversations and the rights of the affected communities.