What Happened
Members of the National Assembly’s Commission on Population, Environment and Development conducted an early-morning inspection along tributaries of the Pacora River, visiting communities in eastern Panamá province including Las Garzas, San Martín and San Miguel. The visit, carried out with representatives of the Pacora sub-basin committee, sought to verify repeated citizen complaints about contamination in one of the main basins that supplies water to thousands of people.
The environmental deterioration
Inspectors found a mix of natural areas and clear signs of deterioration: turbid waters, accumulated waste on riverbanks and discharges that run into tributaries and ultimately reach the Centenario potabilization plant. Independent deputy Betserai Richards highlighted contamination tied to pig farms (porquerizas), warning the situation resembles recent episodes in Azuero and could repeat in a key basin for Panamá Este. Communities report that some pig-farm operations have been suspended, but residents say contamination persists.
Local committees have identified at least five points of contamination in the area; during the tour the commission verified two: one linked to inadequate community waste management and another to a pig farm whose activity was said to be suspended but still shows unresolved waste pits. Stagnant pits near the river risk overflowing during the rainy season and carrying contaminants downstream.
Avoiding a water crisis
Commission president deputy Lenín Ulate said the inspection aimed to prevent a repeat of the Azuero crisis: “No queremos que pase aquí lo que ya está pasando allá.” He noted citizen complaints point to more than ten contamination sites and announced the commission will produce a report with recommendations and a hoja de ruta to be sent to the Ministry of Environment (Ministerio de Ambiente) and the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud) for concrete action beyond diagnosis.
Deputy Richards stressed the scale of the problem: in circuit 8-6, which covers Panamá Este, nearly 400,000 people depend largely on water originating in this basin. He called for coordinated action between the health and environment ministries and warned against possible clandestine operations or underground contamination even where surface activity appears suspended.
The role of the community
Community organizations have been documenting the situation for months. Mitzi Fajardo, secretary of the Pacora sub-basin committee, accompanied the inspection and said contamination stems from multiple everyday sources: greywater, domestic garbage and visitors leaving waste on the banks. “It is the same water you drink at home,” she warned, urging greater awareness among residents and visitors.
Communities praise the Ministry of Environment’s work but lament limited responses from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agricultural Development (Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario), particularly in policing pig-farming practices and improving complaint mechanisms.
What this means
The commission noted an existing law meant to protect the Pacora basin remains unregulated, a gap that limits institutional action and delays enforcement. The upcoming commission report is intended to propose immediate and medium-term measures; communities and deputies emphasize both stronger institutional presence and cultural change to prevent further degradation of a basin that feeds much of Panamá Este.