President cancels controversial dam project
President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Sunday the definitive cancellation of the La Parota hydroelectric dam project, ending a 23-year conflict that began when the Federal Electricity Commission first proposed the facility in 2003. The president detailed an alternative 8,000 million peso ($400-450 million) water infrastructure plan for the Acapulco area, centered on radial wells, rehabilitated pumping systems and flood prevention measures.
"Yesterday I informed the entire rural area of Acapulco that we are no longer going to do [the dam project] because it would have greatly affected the communities," Sheinbaum said.
The proposed 900-megawatt dam would have flooded between 14,000 and 17,000 hectares across five municipalities — Acapulco, Juan R. Escudero, San Marcos, Chilpancingo and Tecoanapa — displacing upwards of 25,000 inhabitants in northern Acapulco. An additional 75,000 people downstream were expected to suffer impacts from changes to the river ecosystem, with major losses anticipated in fisheries extending to the Papagayo River's delta at the Pacific Ocean.
Decades of organized resistance
Opposition to the project emerged immediately after its 2003 announcement. The Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to the La Parota Dam (CECOP) launched its resistance movement on July 28, 2003, blocking roads leading to the proposed dam site. The organized peasant movement maintained pressure for years, achieving a significant milestone in 2012 when the Guerrero state government signed the Cacahuatepec Accords with CECOP, representing a major step toward cancellation and committing the state to cease repression of the movement.
Concerns over the land expropriation process and a lack of agreements with local communities ultimately drove Sheinbaum's decision to cancel the project entirely.
Alternative water infrastructure plan
The comprehensive water strategy for Acapulco includes three radial wells along the Papagayo River, rehabilitation of aqueducts, repair of pumping systems, construction of elevated tanks and replacement of leaking water lines. These radial collector wells — consisting of a central reinforced concrete caisson with horizontal screened laterals extending into aquifers — will draw water from sand and gravel deposits hydraulically connected to the river, providing a cost-effective supply solution.
The radial wells are being constructed on tall towers designed to remain safe from flood waters, with underground collection systems tapping into the Papagayo River.
The works were initially included in the January 2025 federal program "Acapulco Transforms with You," established in response to damage from two devastating hurricanes. Hurricane Otis struck on October 25, 2023, as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 165 mph, causing $12-16 billion in damage and at least 52 deaths — making it the costliest tropical cyclone in Mexican history. The storm underwent unprecedented rapid intensification, with wind speeds increasing by 115 mph within 24 hours, giving the region's more than one million residents minimal preparation time.
Hurricane John followed in September 2024 as a Category 3 hurricane, producing historic rainfall that exceeded even Otis, with 214% more water than Hurricane Paulina in 1997. The storm displaced over 34,500 families and affected more than 560,000 residents. John made landfall, dissipated, then redeveloped into a hurricane and made a second landfall — a rare "zombie" storm pattern that caused prolonged rainfall and flooding along Mexico's Pacific coast from September 22-27, 2024.
Flood prevention and water quality improvements
Beyond water supply, the government plans to replace drinking water lines in upper Acapulco, starting in the Renacimiento neighborhood. Cleanup work is now underway in the Papagayo River, with dredging operations removing sediment to increase riverbed capacity and reduce flood risk during heavy rainfall.
The Papagayo River basin faces significant flooding vulnerability, with the risk from heavy rainfall increasing substantially in recent decades due to deforestation in the mountainous Acapulco region. Scientific research shows the number of floods in Guerrero state has at least doubled over a forty-year period.
The comprehensive project includes wastewater treatment plant rehabilitation alongside the flood prevention works and radial wells, addressing multiple water infrastructure challenges created by the hurricanes and longstanding regional needs.
Residents of towns bordering the river have expressed concern that the water works will primarily serve beachfront Acapulco rather than increasing their own water supply, highlighting ongoing equity questions in the project's implementation.
