Ilya Espino begins Panama Canal tenure with Río Indio reservoir as top priority

For Ilya Espino de Marotta, the future of the Panama Canal begins with water. In her inauguration speech, the new administrator placed the Río Indio reservoir at the center of her term, saying Panama needs a new source to protect both public supplies and the operation of the interoceanic route.

“The greatest challenge we face today is securing water for the future for more than 2 million Panamanians, the functioning of the Canal, as well as the country’s most important economic and commercial activities,” Espino said. She pointed to changing rainfall patterns in the Canal basin and the effects of drought as evidence that the country must prepare for increasingly demanding climate events.

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The greatest challenge we face today is securing water for the future for more than 2 million Panamanians, the functioning of the Canal, as well as the country’s most important economic and commercial activities.

She recalled that a drought three years ago forced the waterway to cut more than 2,700 transits, while also putting the water supply for millions of Panamanians under pressure. “The weather monitoring we conduct confirms the growing variability of rainfall in the Canal basin and the need to prepare for increasingly demanding climate events,” she said.

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The weather monitoring we conduct confirms the growing variability of rainfall in the Canal basin and the need to prepare for increasingly demanding climate events. Just three years ago, the drought forced us to reduce more than 2,700 transits, also compromising the water supply of millions of Panamanians.

Espino called Río Indio “the most important project our country has at this moment.” She said the project would be developed through dialogue and with a high level of commitment to families in the basin.

Her administration also plans to expand the businesses linked to the Canal beyond ship traffic. It cited energy projects, logistics facilities and port terminals at Corozal and Telfer as part of a strategy to define Panama’s future competitiveness. The agenda also includes reducing the Canal’s carbon footprint, digital transformation and better service practices. Espino acknowledged that none of the projects would be small or simple to execute.

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That is why we decided that the Río Indio lake is at this moment the most important project our country has. And that is why we are developing it through dialogue and with a high level of commitment to the families in the basin.