{"id":50381971,"date":"2023-10-20T15:40:18","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogochino.net\/?post_type=photo_story&p=381971"},"modified":"2024-04-12T11:24:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T11:24:19","slug":"381971-in-ecuador-riverside-communities-feel-impacts-from-hydropower-push","status":"publish","type":"photo_story","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/381971-in-ecuador-riverside-communities-feel-impacts-from-hydropower-push\/","title":{"rendered":"In Ecuador, riverside communities feel impacts from hydropower push"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As winter arrives and the Dulcepamba River begins to swell, Polo Jim\u00e9nez prays its waters do not reach his house. His bedtime routine now includes leaving a torch, a change of clothes and his identification papers by the door, in case he needs to evacuate during the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jim\u00e9nez never imagined such a routine 30 years ago, when he settled in this part of central Ecuador in his twenties. Jim\u00e9nez lives in San Pablo de Amal\u00ed, a community of 480 people in Bol\u00edvar province. Here in the western foothills of the Andes, water is everywhere. Such abundance has long been a blessing, but it is fast becoming a major concern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I built [my house], I was 300 metres from the river, but now, as you can see, there are not even 15 metres,\u201d says Jim\u00e9nez. For this, he blames the San Jos\u00e9 del Tambo hydroelectric plant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2005, Ecuador\u2019s environment ministry authorised<\/a> power company Hidrotambo to build this plant between the villages of San Jos\u00e9 del Tambo and San Pablo de Amal\u00ed. The plant entered operation in 2016, with an installed capacity of eight megawatts (MW). Since work on the project commenced, some of those living near the Dulcepamba River have denounced the diversions to its course that the project has caused. They claim that changes to the river have affected 140 communities by triggering deadly floods and economic losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"man<\/div>
Polo Jim\u00e9nez stands on one of the rocks he hopes will contain the flow of the Dulcepamba River in the event of flooding. He lives in San Pablo de Amal\u00ed, one of the many communities claiming to be affected by the hydroelectric plant. (Image: Misha Vallejo Prut)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hydropower proliferation and paralysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hydropower generates over 80%<\/a> of Ecuador\u2019s electricity, with projects often sited in sensitive areas: the Ecuadorian Amazon, for example, is home to 18%<\/a> of all active hydropower plants in the entire Amazon rainforest. This includes the country\u2019s largest, the Coca Codo Sinclair dam, which has been linked to the disappearance of the San Rafael waterfall<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidrotambo\u2019s San Jos\u00e9 del Tambo plant captures run-of-the-river hydropower, which means it relies on the natural energy of the Dulcepamba to move its turbines, rather than a reservoir-forming dam. Such plants are generally considered a more environmentally friendly way to generate hydropower compared to dams and reservoirs, which compromise a river\u2019s ecology and increase flood risks. Nevertheless, the plant partially diverts the Dulcepamba River, bringing it closer to homes and causing a risk of floods when its levels are high. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ecuadorian law<\/a> does not grant the power to permanently deny authorisation for a project exploiting renewable resources on public land. Such proposals can therefore be submitted repeatedly until approval is granted, which is fuelling conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
Recommended<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n

One of country\u2019s best-known hydroelectric predicaments is the \u201cparalysed\u201d Toachi Pilat\u00f3n<\/a> in central Ecuador. This 254 MW project was first awarded in 2007 but, following a series of delays and a government bribery scandal, it is still only partially operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of the 30 MW Piat\u00faa hydropower project in the eastern province of Pastaza, Ecuador\u2019s Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE) granted it an environmental licence in 2014, but by 2019 construction had been halted<\/a> by Pastaza\u2019s provincial court. The ruling demanded a more thorough environmental impact report, and the case has since been picked up<\/a> by Ecuador\u2019s constitutional court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big changes on the Dulcepamba<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hidrotambo\u2019s environmental impact report<\/a> for the San Jos\u00e9 del Tambo hydroelectric plant, conducted in 2005, downplayed flood risks. The report acknowledged that displaced riverbed materials could block water drainage routes in the Dulcepamba river basin, but concluded that \u201cthe incidence of this phenomenon is low\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"house<\/div>
A branch of the Dulcepamba River flows less than 15 metres from the houses of San Pablo de Amal\u00ed, bringing a risk of floods to the residents when water levels rise (Image: Misha Vallejo Prut)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Almost 20 years later, floods occur on a regular basis. In communications with Di\u00e1logo Chino, Hidrotambo\u2019s general manager, Franklin Pico, describes the river basin as a \u201chigh-risk area\u201d for flooding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jim\u00e9nez first found himself living on the edge of the Dulcepamba in 2015, after the biggest flood<\/a> in the river\u2019s history brought its bank to his home. The flood also left three people dead and swept away houses, animals and crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local resident Filadelfo Borja tells Di\u00e1logo Chino that before hydropower came to the area, Dulcepamba\u2019s floods would destroy \u201ca maximum of two cocoa plants\u201d. In 2015, however, Borja lost all his crops and his family was forced to leave the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, Jim\u00e9nez\u2019s neighbour Manuel Trujillo filed a complaint with the Bol\u00edvar province court of justice. He claimed that the Dulcepamba had been diverted towards his property, which the court rejected. A year later, the floods washed away his house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the 2015 flood, an inspection report<\/a> by the ARCONEL, the national electricity regulator, advised Hidrotambo to build a breakwater to protect San Pablo de Amal\u00ed, warning that \u201cthe next flooding of the river could seriously affect the population.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date, a flood barrier has not been built. In the meantime, damaging floods have occurred in 2017, 2019 and 2023<\/a>. During the flooding this year, the area\u2019s sole access road was destroyed, and members of the local community tell Di\u00e1logo Chino that helicopters were needed to bring supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"small<\/div>
A San Pablo de Amal\u00ed resident holds up the only fish she managed to catch after four hours fishing in the Dulcepamba River. Locals claim that fish numbers have dropped dramatically in recent years. (Image: Misha Vallejo Prut)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"woman<\/div>
San Pablo de Amal\u00ed resident Carmen Guanulema sits near one of the artificial water channels of the hydroelectric plant, neighbouring her land. She claims its flow is increasing. (Image: Misha Vallejo Prut)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a recent drop in the Dulcepamba\u2019s fish numbers has been noted by locals, including San Pablo de Amal\u00ed resident Carmen Guanulema: \u201cThey have disappeared; there is no more fishing like before.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2021 study<\/a> into Ecuador\u2019s freshwater fish populations found that many native species are under threat from, among other factors, the physical alteration of rivers, as well as hydroelectric power plants. Run-of-the-river dams that divert significant amounts of water, like Hidrotambo\u2019s on the Dulcepamba, can drastically alter fish habitats. Yet despite complaints from the population, no studies have been conducted on fish in this area to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accusations of river manipulation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the edge of the hydroelectric plant\u2019s catchment area, Di\u00e1logo Chino observes a wall of stones. San Pablo de Amal\u00ed residents claim that this wall is built by Hidrotambo every summer, when the river is lower, to direct as much water as possible into the plant; in the winter, they claim Hidrotambo removes these stones. Consequently, local communities often suffer from water scarcity in the summer and floods in the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hidrotambo\u2019s Pico tells Di\u00e1logo Chino that this wall of stones forms by itself, from \u201call the material that [a flood] carries from the higher areas of the mountain\u201d. Furthermore, he asserts that the river has never been diverted by the company. However, some experts disagree. Jorge Celi<\/a>, director of the UNESCO Chair on Tropical Freshwater Management, tells Di\u00e1logo Chino the wall could not have formed on its own. Based on his comparison of the Dulcepamba River during fieldwork in 2012 and 2018, Celi also says Hidrotambo\u2019s hydroelectric plant \u201cinfluenced the change in the riverbed\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/div>
An aerial view of the San Jos\u00e9 del Tambo hydroelectric plant\u2019s diversion channel (right) and San Pablo de Amal\u00ed (left). Residents claim that Hidrotambo, the company that runs the facility, builds a stone wall every summer to maximise the water diverted to the plant, and dismantles it in the winter, creating alternating water scarcity and floods. (Image: Misha Vallejo Prut)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, a March 2023 flood risk inspection by Ecuador\u2019s Secretariat of Risk Management identified<\/a> an increasing risk of flooding in San Pablo de Amal\u00ed and attributed \u201csome degree of responsibility\u201d to Hidrotambo. The report presented the wall of stones as an intentional construction by Hidrotambo and called for its removal. As of July 2023, however, the wall was still standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hydropower litigation spreading across Ecuador<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hidrotambo has initiated various criminal proceedings against residents of San Pablo de Amal\u00ed since 2006, when construction of the power plant began. During that year, the company commenced<\/a> legal action against 42 people who refused to comply with eviction notices. In 2013, Hidrotambo accused<\/a> two residents of \u201cterrorism\u201d \u2013 a threat regularly levelled<\/a> at environmental defenders during the era of Rafael Correa\u2019s presidency (2007\u20132017). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The community has responded with its own legal action. In 2018, San Pablo de Amal\u00ed residents filed<\/a> a request with Ecuador\u2019s water secretariat, Senagua, to review Hidrotambo\u2019s water use. The government accepted the request in 2019 and Hidrotambo lost the right to use the Dulcepamba during the summer months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"woman<\/div>
Manuela Pacheco sitting in her living room in San Pablo de Amal\u00ed. She has been an active defender of the Dulcepamba River, but several years ago she suffered a stress-related bone marrow infarction and is now unable to walk. (Image: Misha Vallejo Prut)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"man<\/div>
Pacheco\u2019s husband in their kitchen. Several years ago, during protests against the installation of the Hidrotambo hydroelectric plant, he lost an eye due to the impact of a police rubber bullet. (Image: Misha Vallejo Prut)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

On 30 May this year, the environment ministry wholly withdrew<\/a> its authorisation for Hidrotambo to use the waters of the Dulcepamba. This decision was triggered by instances of non-compliance uncovered by the review. Hidrotambo\u2019s infractions included capturing a higher flow of water than authorised between July and December, and failing to submit agreed-upon redesigns for the plant to address its water abstraction issues.

Hidrotambo appealed the decision less than two weeks later, citing \u201cviolations of rights” during the review process. The ministry was meant to give a final verdict on the appeal within 90 days, but has yet to do so. With no verdict forthcoming, and with the country in the midst of political upheaval and elections, the company continues to operate, despite the ministry\u2019s order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company is also being pursued through Ecuador\u2019s constitutional court: in September 2019, the country\u2019s Ombudsman\u2019s Office and the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission filed a so-called extraordinary action for protection<\/a> against Hidrotambo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2008, Ecuador became the first country to protect the rights of nature<\/a> in its constitution. Environmental lawyer Hugo Echeverr\u00eda<\/a> tells Di\u00e1logo Chino that the Hidrotambo-Dulcepamba case was selected by the constitutional court to \u201ccreate jurisprudence\u201d \u2013 or set a legal precedent \u2013 for defending these rights. It is one of six cases chosen<\/a> by the court to build this jurisprudence. This set also includes the Piat\u00faa hydropower case, and a well-known case named after a monkey called Estrellita, which ruled<\/a> that wild animals have legal rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a final decision arrives, the Hidrotambo-Dulcepamba case will be the first in which Ecuador\u2019s constitutional court rules<\/a> on the standards and limitations of state-managed renewable and non-renewable resource exploitation, as well as the actions of concessionary companies and whether they infringe upon collective rights and the rights of nature. In addition, this legal process will determine whether the possible inaction of the state caused a violation of human rights, because citizens had already earlier denounced the problems resulting from the overflowing of the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"woman<\/div>
Carmen Guanulema (centre), showing her land ownership documents to two lawyers heading a lawsuit with the locals against Hidrotambo (Image: Misha Vallejo Prut)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ecuador\u2019s hydroelectric future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a hydroelectric plant twice the size of the Coca Codo Sinclair dam is currently being planned<\/a> in Morona-Santiago province, in Ecuador\u2019s south-east. Named after the Santiago River that it intends to exploit, the project would have a maximum capacity of 3,600 MW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is scheduled for operation by 2031, although an operator is yet to be announced. It does not have an environmental licence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a unique river,\u201d Celi says of the Santiago, one of the main arteries connecting the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon. \u201cWe are talking about a hydroelectric facility that is 200 metres high, on a torrential river that carries a lot of sediment. All of these will stop behind the dam, and that has a strong impact on the downstream dynamics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in Bol\u00edvar province, Polo Jim\u00e9nez and the communities of the Dulcepamba River continue to navigate the local consequences of Ecuador\u2019s hydropower reliance, and hope for solutions. \u201cI no longer want to be afraid of falling asleep,\u201d he says. \u201cI just hope there is more security so that the river doesn\u2019t come, and will leave us alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was produced in partnership with Youtop\u00eda Ecuador<\/a>, and with support from Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disasters and legal battles have plagued the San Jos\u00e9 del Tambo hydroelectric facility, raising concerns over the local impacts of Ecuador\u2019s renewable energy plans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":50381987,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[757],"tags":[554,587],"country":[50002594],"class_list":["post-50381971","photo_story","type-photo_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","tag-hydropower","tag-rivers","country-ecuador"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIn Ecuador, riverside communities feel impacts from hydropower push<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Disasters and legal battles have plagued the San Jos\u00e9 del Tambo hydroelectric facility, raising concerns over the local impacts of Ecuador\u2019s renewable energy plans\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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