Communique of the Diocese of Santiago de Maria Regarding the Construction of a Hydroelectric Dam in the Torola River

With regards to the construction of the hydroelectric dam, "El Chaparral" in the Torola River in the northern part of San Miguel, by the Rio Lempa Executive Commission (CEL), which will affect the municipalities of San Luis de la Reina, Carolina, and San Antonio de Mosco; as the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese of Santiago de Maria, we express the following:

1. That, considering the human and material wellness of a great number of poor and defenseless families that will be severely affected by said project, we deem it necessary and urgent, in the name of truth and justice, to make public our complete analysis of the project in question from a pastoral point of view.
2. That we judge to be incorrect and arbitrary the way in which CEL has proceeded in communicating and carrying out the construction project of the said dam, as they have only met with certain people previously selected at their convenience, to notify them of the project, thereby excluding and marginalizing the inhabitants who will be directly affected.
3. That, to date, the inhabitants who will be directly affected have not been properly informed on the part of CEL and when they have requested information, their requests have been denied. Faced with the lack of dialogue and information on the part of CEL and faced with the uncertainty of what will happen in the future with their families, their homes, land, livestock, and roads, the affected population has shown itself to be very dissatisfied.
4. That, as CEL is aware of the unrest, the complaints and the uncertainty of the affected population, and as they have neither explained the negative consequences that the said dam will cause, nor responded to the just demands of those affected, it is evident that CEL has initiated its work arbitrarily.

Therefore, given that at stake within the afore-mentioned situation are the dignity and the rights of very vulnerable human beings, for whom the future of their lives is being put in great danger; and given the responsibility we have to "love and tend to the poor and marginalized in a preferential manner"(Ecclesia in America, n. 58), we make public the following reflections:

1. We agree that development projects should be carried out with urgency and efficiency in the northern zone of the department of San Miguel, which has been so excluded and so marginalized by so many government administrations; as long as such development seeks to benefit the entire population, excluding no one, and so long as it does not affect people so gravely as is occurring in the present case.
2. It is not possible to develop or continue a project, such as that which has been mentioned, with the simple promise that it will favor the development of the area, when it is rushed through or when the future good of the affected population’s rights is not assured. Both would constitute grave errors and violations of the human dignity of so many people, poor people. We are faced with a project that will not directly benefit all the inhabitants of the area, but rather particular corporations.
3. We are certain that, beyond the possible points of development that could be produced in the area as a result of the dam’s construction, possibilities which to date remain speculations, the damage that the said dam will cause for the affected population will be far greater: damage to their culture (given their relationship with and love for the land on which they live), damage to housing and the environment, agricultural damage and destruction of transportation routes.
4. We believe that the affected population has the right to feel bothered by the execution of the said project, that their complaints are entirely just and their rights must be guaranteed and respected. We also consider it urgent that the authorities of CEL sit down to dialogue with the affected population with frankness and responsibility, with the aim of listening to and negotiating their demands based on right and justice, and not solely with people convenient to CEL and foreign to the said problem.
5. Given the situation of marginalization and extreme poverty in which the majority of the area’s population live, it seems to us that that which is most urgent and most necessary for the people’s true development and well-being is not the construction of a dam, but rather rapid and efficient attention to healthcare, education, decent housing, the creation of permanent employment, support and technical assistance for peasant farmers, an increase in the minimum wage, improvement of roads and the construction of bridges, etc.

According to the demands of the Gospel and as pastors of this people, we are interested in, first and foremost, the sacred goodness of all persons and that of the whole person and, above all, that of the most poor and marginalized. We call for action and demand that it be taken with equity and justice for the poorest of the poor and above all, as present circumstances demand it, that there be action on the part of those who are in a position to do so.

Issued by the Episcopal Seat of Santiago de Maria, on the 4th day of the month of December, in the year 2001.

N.B. CEL, in El Salvador is the Rio Lempa Executive Commission, which is self-defined as: "an autonomous institution of public service created in 1945. It is in charge of the exploration, conservation, development and usage of energy sources, in order to generate electricity, with the aim of satisfying the demand of different sectors."