Mongabay: Dam opponents claim criminalization by Ecuadorian government

Terrorism and sabotage are just two of the criminal charges brought against more than 20 residents of the Dulcepampa watershed in Ecuador’s central Bolivar province for their opposition to a hydroelectric dam. A vast water authorization for the dam has curtailed locals’ access to water for irrigation and daily consumption, sparking widespread resistance.

The eight-megawatt Hidrotambo run-of-the-river dam affects communities along its seven-kilometer path and reduces water access for 72 communities upstream.

“The dam company has taken away the peace and quiet we once had,” Manuel Trujillo, president of the town of San Pablo de Amalí, where the dam is located, told Mongabay. Trujillo, whom friends and colleagues respectfully call “Don Manuel,” has helped lead the movement against Hidrotambo for over 10 years.

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