There’s No Drought in Panama Canal Plans

Via the Washington Post, commentary on long-term plans for the Panama Canal:

Environmental impact is an urgent issue, and, as noted in the Jan. 26 editorial, “A dry Panama Canal shows what’s ahead — everywhere,” the Panama Canal has been affected, as have other water routes, including the Rhine, Amazon and Mississippi rivers.

The Panama Canal Authority is addressing this challenge in the short and long term. Cross-filling, which consists of transferring and reusing water between chambers; tandem transits, so smaller vessels can cross simultaneously; and an increased use of our water saving basins are some of the measures that have allowed us to reduce water use by up to 50 percent. Furthermore, a slight improvement in rainfall during the last two months of last year helped us increase daily transits beyond what was first forecast.

We continue to invest in long-term solutions. Together with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we confirmed that alternatives within the Panama Canal’s jurisdiction are not sufficient to meet growing demand for water. Instead, we’ve identified a set of projects, including ones outside the canal’s domain, that require that the government define and extend the limits of our watershed.

We have an opportunity to shape a more sustainable ecosystem for global trade. That is why in our five-year investment program of more than $8.5 billion we consider sustainability at the core.

The Panama Canal famously is not one to shy away from engineering challenges. We remain confident in our ability to safeguard our route for years to come.



This entry was posted on Saturday, February 10th, 2024 at 1:59 am and is filed under Panama.  You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.  Both comments and pings are currently closed. 

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