Since 1966, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE, Comisión Federal de Electricidad) has performed numerous studies on the main riverbed of the Río Verde – located in the Sierra Sur and the coast of Oaxaca- in order to discover the hydrological, geological, environmental, and social qualities of the region, as well as potential hydroelectric possibilities for this important region of the country.
Since the middle of February 2006, the CFE has been visiting communities in this region and presenting a project named “Hydraulic Project- Paso de la Reina”.
This dam would have a 195 meter long curtain of water and would directly affect 3100 hectares in 6 municipalities and 15 communities on the coast of Oaxaca. These communities are made up of indigenous people from the Mixteca and Chatina peoples, as well as afro-mestiza groups.
The Council of United Peoples for the Defense of the Río Verde (COPUDEVER, El Consejo de Pueblos Unidos por la Defensa del Río Verde) was formed on June 9th, 2007, in San José del Progreso Tututepec, which is located close to the Ricardo Flores Magón dam. This council is made up of members of the communities of Tataltepec de Valdés, and Santiago Ixtayutla, and their principal objective is to defend their land, water, and natural resources [Source: El Topil].
On September 18th, 2008, SIPAZ interviewed a member of the COPUDEVER (Video interview below in Spanish).
For More Information (In Spanish):
“El Topil” (EDUCA, August 2008) – Magazine discussing large government projects in Oaxaca
sipazen.wordpress.com 